How these mammals became huge

FROM TERRIER-SIZED
TO ’THUNDER BEAST’

Friday, May 12, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore how genetics influence obesity, discover the real story behind Britain’s first Black queen, explore how a prehistoric animal morphed into a giant … and salute nurses on International Nurses Day.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MILLARD H. SHARP/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

It’s like a cartoon. A tiny animal emerges the size of a rhino.

A new study sheds light on “thunder beasts”—prehistoric mammals that grew over the generations from 40 pounds to more than a ton (a skeleton, above). On a veggie diet. With no steroids.

HOW DID THEY GROW

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

IMAGE VIA ART COLLECTION / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Britain’s first Black queen? The real story of Queen Charlotte (pictured above)

The FDA eases limits on gay and bisexual men giving blood

One of the world’s most common languages once went extinct—here’s how it was brought back

See a dog locked in a hot car? Here’s what you can do.

One solution to child malnutrition may lie in kids’ guts

The shogun who outwitted his rivals—and founded a 265-year-old Japanese dynasty

Title 42 is gone now. How the obscure law became a focus of U.S. immigration policy.

Hammerhead sharks may hold their breath under water. Here’s why.

California’s epic superbloom is here. Don’t ruin it.

Who really owns our trash, and who should?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN, CORBIS

It’s not what it used to be: An activist worked for decades on a dream of a quiet, reflective day for mothers and their children. Anna Jarvis (pictured above) achieved a Mother’s Day holiday—but it wasn’t what she wanted. “To have Mother’s Day the burdensome, wasteful, expensive gift day that Christmas and other special days have become, is not our pleasure,” she wrote in the 1920s. Do you agree? Let us know.

THIS HOLIDAY HISTORY

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY CRISTINA FLETES-BOUTTE, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE/GETTY IMAGES

It could be the genes—not the diet: There are hundreds of genes that influence fat storage and metabolism, and it varies in each person. As one scientist puts it: “Obesity is not a choice.” (Above, a technician shows a used flow cell, which holds DNA for sequencing.)

More food for thought:
7 hormones influence how much you eat. Can we influence them?
These foods can help you fight off everyday stress
Is Mounjaro the weight-loss drug we’ve been waiting for?
Here’s what to eat to keep your brain healthy and strong

OBESITY + GENETICS

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY AMI VITALE

Thank you! They help deliver babies and heal us when we’re ill. They work overnight shifts on little sleep. They got us through the pandemic. Celebrate the nurse in your life this International Nurses Day, like the one above who greets a new mother in a Sri Lanka hospital.

Celebrate more amazing nurses:
America’s Filipino nurses remain resilient pillars at home and abroad
She survived the Titanic—but it wasn’t the only time she faced death at sea
Listen: The nurse keeping explorers alive

HOLDING ON IN SRI LANKA

Today’s soundtrack: She Goes To Work, Jake Dodds

Happy Friday! This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, and David Beard. What’s on your travel bucket list? Email david.beard@natgeo.com to let us know. Thanks for reading!

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A&E Blast: Don’t forget about Mom this weekend!

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RJ Hamster

How these mammals became huge

How these mammals became huge

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