Murder in the Arctic

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

In today’s newsletter, we follow a disastrous Arctic expedition, unearth five ancient cities that once ruled North America, learn how Romans craved a condiment made from funky fish guts … and witness a stricken Chris Hemsworth’s quest for longevity.

TAUBMAN MUSEUM OF ART, ROANOKE, VIRIGINIA

Sailing farther northward than any other known vessel, the commander of the U.S.S.Polaris was dead set on being the first to reach the North Pole.

Soon, he was simply dead, although it took nearly a century to determine that he was murdered.

But by whom? And why? Was it a love triangle? Or jealousy? And what happened to the mission?

Read the full story here.

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DEA/SCALA, FLORENCE

A cold case: The captain’s body was buried about 500 miles south of the North Pole, making an investigation into his death nearly impossible—until the body’s exhumation nearly a century later. The return voyage was also riddled with disasters, including the ship becoming trapped in ice, illustrated at top. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY IRA BLOCK

These 5 ancient cities once thrived in North America. What happened to them? (Above, Cahokia was once home to 10,000 to 20,000 people in present day Illinois.)

Why we’ll never find Noah’s Ark

How nutritious are your favorite Thanksgiving foods?

How Rome came to view funky fish guts as a delicacy

1,700-year-old monkey sacrifice sheds light on ancient diplomacy

The still-relevant insights of Jane Austen

What happens to your brain when you see a bird in nature?

This Black Friday, make sure you don’t fall for greenwashing

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY CARAVAN IMAGES, ALAMY

Crampons for all! As winter nears, ice climbing hot spots across North America are gearing up to teach new climbers how to join in the fun. Nat Geo looks at five top destinations for climbers of all levels to learn the ropes (like North Conway, New Hampshire, pictured above). If you time it right, you might also catch an ice festival or two!

GRAB AN AX

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTIAS KLUM, @MATTIASKLUMOFFICIAL

Iguana glam: Charles Darwin’s main theory stills hold true, but perhaps not all of his opinions. When he arrived in the Galápagos, he wrote of the land iguanas, “from their low facial angle they have a singularly stupid appearance.” Nat Geo Explorer Mattias Klum photographed a land iguana from Isabela Island, above. Even though Darwin might not have thought the iguanas were charming, nearly 200,000 people liked the photo on our Instagram.

EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION

THE NIGHT SKIES

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Ride the celestial bull: Today’s new moon means dark skies and the perfect time to explore Taurus. The constellation is easy to find these nights because Orion’s belt points straight to its brightest star, Aldebaran, which marks the bull’s eye. Also this week, don’t forget to check out brilliant Mars, the beacon-like dot between the horns of Taurus. In the next few weeks, the Red Planet will be at its biggest and brightestthis year.

WHY THE MARS FASCINATON?

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG PARRY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR DISNEY+

The secret to a long life? Actor and occasional Norse god Chris Hemsworthhas some insight. For two years, National Geographic challenged him to uncover the secrets of longevity by putting his body on the line. He plunged into Arctic waters, dangled a thousand feet over a canyon, and wore a suit that simulated aging (pictured above). He also told us how he dealt with news that he was 10 times more likely to get Alzheimer’s because of his genetic makeup.

UNLOCKING LIMITLESS

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Sydney Combs, and David Beard. Have an idea or a link? We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. We’ll be off Thanksgiving and the next day, but we’ll be back on Saturday. Thanks for reading!

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Murder in the Arctic

Murder in the Arctic

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