China kept this shipwreck secret for decades

THE 800-YEAR-OLD FIND THAT WAS KEPT FROM THE WORLD

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn belatedly of an astounding undersea find, uncover fossils amid the world’s highest tides, examine Europe’s deadly frog legshabit, figure out why suffragists wore white … and discover a river in Vietnam that transforms into a living watercolor. Plus, catch Venus and Jupiter tonight!

MARITIME SILK ROAD MUSEUM GUANGDONG

In the past few weeks, the world has learned of China’s vast spy balloon operation and the possibility it would help arm Russia in the Moscow-launched first land war in Europe since Hitler.

Earlier, for decades, Beijing kept another secret—the discovery of an 800-year-old shipwreck. What was the big deal in hiding the news about the Nanhai No. 1 (illustrated above)? What has the world learned about it now?

Read the full story here.

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ALAMY/ACI

Lost in transit: Much of the original cargo remains aboard the 100-foot-long junk, which was nearly intact. It took years to raise the vessel, now displayed in a vast museum tank. Read on.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY RENAN OZTURK

A perilous journey uncovers a volcanic secret in the South Atlantic (pictured, resting just before the first recorded summit of Mount Michael)

A crippling disease often isn’t diagnosed—unless you’re white. Why is that?

Europe’s taste for frog legs is putting wild amphibians in jeopardy

Old cells hurt the body as we age. Can we clean them out?

New AI may be able to pass the Turing test. Who was Alan Turing?

Why today was once the start of the new year

Does saggy skin equal inflammation?

This river in Vietnam transforms into a living watercolor

Why suffragists wore white

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY KITCHIN AND HURST, ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY

Where are great fossils? Try a place with the world’s highest tides. Canada’s Bay of Fundy, a 170-mile-long basin in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has one of the richest caches of fossils in the Western Hemisphere, Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above, ancient ferns are preserved in rock that washes up on the bayshore.)

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY DEAN CONGER

Are the doors locked? In this 1966 photo taken in Yellowstone, a grizzly bear approaches a car to beg for food. Today, regulations stipulate that visitors stay 300 feet from all bears in the iconic national park. See our best photos of Yellowstone.

HEY HEY, BOO BOO!

THE NIGHT SKIES

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Don’t miss Venus and Jupiter tonight: After sunset, look west for a close encounter between the biggest and the brightest planet in our skies. Of course, the worlds only appear close together—less than one moon disk apart in the sky tonight and late Thursday. Also Thursday night, watch the gibbous moon glide past the Gemini twin stars, Castor and Pollux. — Andrew Fazekas

TOP NIGHT SKY EVENTS OF 2023

Today’s soundtrack: I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Richard and Lynda Thompson

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, and David Beard. Have an idea or a link? We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading!

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China kept this shipwreck secret for decades

China kept this shipwreck secret for decades

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