Yellowstone’s life-saving creatures

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TINY CRITTERS.
BIG MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we examine the miraculous creatures of Yellowstone, beat our fear to scuba, visit sacred Muslim sites around the world … and tug of war in tartan. Oh, happy Manatee Appreciation Day.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL NICHOLS

Steamy vents. Sulfurous mud pots. Spouting hot, mulicolored springs (above).

These majestic joys of America’s oldest national park attract not only tourists—but heat-loving creatures that have figured in many scientific breakthroughs.

One bug yielded a heat-friendly, DNA-copying enzyme that works at high temperatures. The enzyme led to PCR tests used today in everything from forensics and genetic testing to accurate COVID checks. What else? And how, exactly?

Read the full story here.

Please consider getting our full digital report and magazine by subscribing here.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER HAYES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Scared to scuba? Here are 5 reasons to face that fear. (Above, divers tend to staghorn coral cuttings in an effort to help restore Florida’s reefs.)

Your senses change as you age. This is how to keep them sharp.

5 sacred Muslim sites in the world (including one in Jerusalem)

The man who started the Illuminati

Explore the tunnels under Jerusalem—and uncover its secrets

This is the real Jesus, according to archaeologists

Meet Mexico’s ‘forgotten panda.’ She’s the last of her kind.

Is melatonin safe? Here’s what we know.

The Colorado Cannibal: A villain or a victim? You decide.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT F. SISSON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Unraveling a checkered past, a poem in plaid:
Break out the bagpipes and play us a song, as the history of tartan is certainly long. Dressed on the royalty and ruffians alike, what the U.S. calls plaid has seen lows and high heights. This story of Scotland you’ll add to your shelf, but don’t take our word—just read for yourself.

(Pictured, men in Royal Stuart tartan compete in a tug of war in Scotland.)

TARTAN!

THE NIGHT SKIES

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

A sunset smorgasborg: This week, look to the southwest sky as the sun goes down. You’ll see, in a diagonal line below the moon, five major planets—Mars, Uranus, Venus, and just above the horizon, Mercury and Jupiter. Tonight, look for the moon to pass along side Castor and Pollux, with bright twins of the Gemini constellation. —Andrew Fazekas

CATCH A GLIMPSE

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON GULLEY

Sea cows: Seen in crystal clear rivers and in various Florida bays, manatees are the sea’s gentle giants. Neither predator nor prey, these creatures feed on seagrass and love warm waters. Unfortunately, their main food group continues to die off from things like human wastewater, and events like red tides can kill the humble beasts (pictured, a manatee in Ichetucknee Springs State Park).

Learn more about why manatees are so loved on this year’s Manatee Appreciation Day.

MANATEES, PLEASE

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY PETE MULLER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Eco-anxiety: Climate change isn’t only affecting the planet—it’s affecting us, too. As natural disasters worsen, anxiety, grief, despair, and depression continue to increase along with them, Nat Geo reports. (Above, Gwen Nordgren sits by the ruins of her California home two months after a wildfire destroyed it.)

Related: Nostalgia for a lost world

LEARN MORE

Today’s soundtrack: Wicked Little Critta, They Might Be Giants

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

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Yellowstone’s life-saving creatures

Yellowstone’s life-saving creatures

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