New clues point to pandemic’s origins

NEW CLUES POINT TO PANDEMIC’S ORIGINS

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

In today’s meteor shower newsletter, two studies point toward a Chinese wet market as the source of COVID-19; researchers in Brazil find a fossil treasure trove; new secrets emerge from the world’s oldest cities … and thousands of beagles rescued from a breeding facility will be up for adoption. Plus, can a country stamp out fascism for good?

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOEL CELIS, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Two new studies point to a “wet market” in Wuhan, China, as the place where COVID-19 began, with progenitors of SARS-CoV-2 likely jumping from animals to human in two separate events. “It’s clear the viruses were circulating in the market and then exploded out of it,” epidemiologist Dominic Dwyer tells Nat Geo.

Case closed? Nope.

Was it an infected animal or an infected person that brought the virus to the market? And if an animal, which one? Scientists have yet to directly find an animal infected with the SARS-CoV-2 progenitor.

Jane Qiu goes to the gates of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market (pictured above) to explore the mystery. Here’s her full story.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTIAS KLUM, @MATTIASKLUMOFFICIAL

Everything all at once: Stars, satellites, and the aurora borealis congregate over Svalbard, Norway. Shooting stars, in fact, are not stars at all. They are meteors, pieces of interplanetary rock or debris that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere and can be seen briefly in the night sky. “I’m not superstitious,” photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Mattias Klum tells us, “but still I make a wish every time I see a star fall.” More meteors—and wishes—further down in this newsletter.

WHEN A METEOR EXPLODED OVER ANTARCTICA

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

FERRAZ ET AL., 2021

Lost treasure trove of fossils (one pictured above) rediscovered after 70 years

New secrets revealed from history’s oldest cities

Can restored mangroves protect Miami from rising seas?

New proposal in Spain seeks to keep fascism away forever

The explorers were looking for oil. They found an ancient temple instead

The Islamic New Year—what you need to know

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA

How Canada expanded: It’s so small you can’t see it on Google Maps. But 50 years ago, the world’s first Earth-observing satellite detected an uninhabited island off the coast of Canada. The discovery expanded the country’s territory by 26.25 square miles, a modest change that represents a large accomplishment for the field of cartography. Landsat 1 (pictured above) launched in July 1972, the first satellite designed to study Earth from orbit. The spacecraft is seen above with its solar panels deployed at the former GE plant in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

LANDSAT AT 50

THE NIGHT SKIES

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Make a wish! If you wish upon a shooting star, the Delta Aquarid meteor show will have you covered. The cosmic pre-game show to August’s iconic Perseids, the Aquarids will peak with about 15 to 20 shooting stars an hour over the next three nights. The meteors appear to radiate from their namesake constellation, Aquarius, in the southeast. No need for telescopes or binoculars—you can easily see the shooting stars above. Also, with the new moon on Thursday, we should have optimally dark skies to catch even the faintest meteors. Both Jupiter and Saturn are rising around midnight in the southeast, appearing on each side of Aquarius.— Andrew Fazekas

WHY STARS LED TO ‘DOG DAYS’ OF SUMMER

IN A FEW WORDS

Curiosity and risk-taking drive many of the best scientific breakthroughs. You may feel scared, be questioned, or get cold before you learn how to keep warm, but the more you push yourself, the more discoveries you will make throughout life.

Erin Pettit

Glaciologist, Nat Geo Explorer

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN WOLF, AP IMAGES FOR HSUS

Rescued: About 4,000 dogs are on their way to new homes. A group of beagles at an animal-breeding facility in central Virginia has been transferred to the Humane Society’s care and rehabilitation center in Maryland. The U.S. Department of Justice had asked the Humane Society to oversee placement for the beagles housed at Envigo, which bred animals to be sold to labs for toxicology research. As Rachel Fobar reported for Nat Geo in May, the USDA had documented more than 70 “chilling” welfare violations at Envigo, which is facing dozens of charges of neglect and abuse. Want to help or adopt a beagle? Learn more here.

BACKGROUND ON THE BEAGLES

This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, Heather Kim, Jen Tse, and Monica Williams. Have an idea or a link? We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. Miss yesterday’s newsletter? Find it here.

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The Beckett Marketplace Sale

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Best fish ‘n’ chips in Northern VA

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This week’s home tip

Keep your dryer vent barnacle-free

A dirty, stuffed up dryer vent can cause a fire. Check out our DIY vent cleaning tips or call in a locally recommended pro.

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Looking ahead with STC 👀⭐

Thank You for joining us for the 2021/22 Season!

We are grateful for your continued support of STC and we look forward to seeing you again this autumn. Please enjoy a short message from Artistic Director Simon Godwin as he recounts the tremendous productions from the 2021/22 Season. We are thrilled to continue telling more vital stories next season in audacious new ways.

Give by July 31 to have your donation MATCHED

With your generous help, we have secured the match from the Harman Family Foundation; but time is running out on a SECOND generous matching opportunity from one of our fantastic trustees. All gifts made by midnight on JULY 31 will be matched—dollar for dollar, up to $50,000!

We’re almost there, but we need your help to meet this match. Please consider donating now before the clock runs out!

Match My Gift

From everyone at STC, thank you for your generosity!

If you have questions about making a gift, please contact Donor Services at 202.547.1122, option 3 or SupportSTC@ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Celebrating the ACA Class of 2022

Congratulations to the Academy for Classical Acting’s 2022 graduating class! To complete their studies, ACA students performed a repertory of three classical works to showcase their new skills. This year’s class productions included John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (directed by Sharon Ott), Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler (directed by John Miller-Stephany), and Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (directed by Nicole Brewer).

Due to several COVID-19 cases in the cast and crew, the showcase was unfortunately cut short. While it is disappointing that their performances could not be shared with more audiences, STC is proud of their hard work and dedication. We were thrilled to have had members of this graduating class grace our stages this season as understudies and we look forward to seeing all that this talented class of performers does next.

If you’re sad to have missed these stellar performances and want a taste of the magic, check out some photos of their work here!

Fun with faeries at Camp Shakespeare

Over the past two months, students of all ages have had the chance to explore the works of Shakespeare by developing their performance skills and stretching their imaginations at Camp Shakespeare. So far, our campers have explored the canon focusing on such plays as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Macbeth, Hamlet, The Tempest, and The Comedy of Errors. Congratulations to all campers who have participated in Camp Shakespeare so far!

A few spots are still available for the final session for students ages 9–18. Campers will transform into Shakespeare’s characters through voice, movement, and imagination, unlock Shakespeare’s language through text analysis, develop acting skills for their level of experience, learn the safety and storytelling of stage combat, and perform for friends and family onstage.

Do you miss Shakespeare Hour Live?

We certainly do! SHL will return for our 22/23 Season; and we’re giving you not one, not two, but THREE episodes per Shakespeare production! Until then, catch up on all the great conversations through our YouTube playlist.

Not sure which episode to watch first? Check out our final Shakespeare Hour Live of the season focused on Red Velvet and featuring STC Resident Dramaturg Dr. Drew Lichtenberg, playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, and director Jade King Carroll.

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Spend Spend Spend – What Some More?

Tooty Nolan

Jul 27

It’s been a while since I lasted reported upon my Back Lane Behemoth… Of late there seemed to be a indefinable ‘something’ wrong with it. It just didn’t feel quite so smooth and effortless as normal. Something mysterious amiss. Cue Andy – of Earle Brothers Motorcycles (of Warnford, Hampshire) to knock at my door and […]

Renew America Movement

Dear Peter,

From day one, we have said our mission was to reform our broken two-party system or, if necessary, replace it with an alternative. Today, we are excited to announce we are joining with allies from across the political spectrum – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – to start the process of building a new and transformational American political party operating under one name: Forward.

RAM is merging with the Serve America Movement (SAM Party) and the Forward Party to forge a better political path for America. Everything you’ve helped build over the years has led to this moment — a genuine turning point in American history. This isn’t just a new party; it will be a new kind of party, bringing people together across the political spectrum to craft real solutions for the majority in America, and moving past the extremes. What will it stand for?

Not Left. Not Right. Forward.

We have all talked about how dysfunctional our political system is. Now it’s time to have the courage to stand up and really do something about it. Forward will be designed by you, from the ground up, to counter political extremism in our country and unite the sensible center into a true, pro-democracy coalition. And people of all political affiliations – Democrat, Republican, and Independent – are invited to come build it with us.

This new party won’t formally lift-off until a Summer 2023 national convention, but starting now you can join us in building the launchpad that will take us to new heights. The angry extremes are fighting to keep control of our politics, but with your help, we can build a home for the majority of Americans ready to focus on doing, not dividing.

Learn more about the new Forward Party, and share the exciting news with your friends.

Renew America Movement

LEARN MORE

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The Verse of the Day

bible.com/bible/1/psa.23.4.KJV

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New clues point to pandemic’s origins

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The Beckett Marketplace Sale

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Beckett partners with PWCC Marketplace

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Best fish ‘n’ chips in Northern VA

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Looking ahead with STC 👀⭐

Thank You for joining us for the 2021/22 Season!

Give by July 31 to have your donation MATCHED

Celebrating the ACA Class of 2022

Do you miss Shakespeare Hour Live?

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Spend Spend Spend – What Some More?

Spend Spend Spend – What Some More?

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