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CHERNOBYL’S NUCLEAR DOGS SURPRISED—AND CHANGED

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we try not to stress out, learn about how we evolved to blink, find Chernobyl’s nuclear pups ... and figure out why today’s athletes are better.

a dog

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE HETTWER

With an explosion that dispersed 400 times more radioactive material into the atmosphere than in Hiroshima, the people fled.

But hundreds of dogs remained behind around the nuclear-contaminated Chernobyl plant.

What happened to them—and to following generations over the past 37 years? What can we learn about radiation from them (one pictured above)?

Read the surprising story here.

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

a man cuts a slab of meat sitting on a table

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN FINKE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

These 7 hormones control your hunger. Here’s how to control them. (Above, a butcher slices beef)

Late-night eating might make you gain weight faster. Here’s what we know.

Rats invaded paradise. Here’s how paradise fought back.

Here's how to tell if a photo is AI-generated

A new advance against cancer: Kill the bacteria

This Roman Empress was a master strategist—and she paid the price for it

The history of the Florida panther Related: How this endangered cat could help save the sunshine state

STD rates are at a shocking high. Here’s why—and what to do about it.

The Senate will vote on the Equal Rights Amendment this week. Here’s what that is.

WHY STRESS OUT?

a white mountain hare blends in with a snowy landscape

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE GEORGE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

It’s not good for animals, either: Loud, roaring military planes cause lizards to stress-eat. When sparrows feel threatened, they get anxious. The stress from being hunted takes a toll on female snowshoe hares’ (pictured above) physical condition, leading to weaker offspring. And some small freshwater fish experience generational trauma.

CAN WE GET STRONGER?

A ballet dancer

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN

Precision training: Athletes are stronger, better, faster—and there’s reason for it: technology and smarts. The innovations are critical for people like professional ballet dancer Esmiana Jani (above), who must point her foot to its “absolute extreme while bearing weight,” Nat Geo reports. Science is helping create new training methods to achieve even greater performances.

NOT A DRY EYE

An Atlantic mudskipper

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Why we evolved to blink: About 375 million years ago, the first fish made their way out of the water and onto land—and suffered from chronic dry eye. Today, a new study reveals that fish have the muscles needed to blink: “That actually suggests that there’s really not that big of a hurdle in order for fishes to be able to see effectively on land,” Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above, an Atlantic mudskipper.)

Related: Do we hiccup because we were once fish?

FISH OUT OF WATER

THE NIGHT SKIES

An illustration of the night sky

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Supernova: Bright lights filled the sky for weeks in 1054. Nearly a millennium later we can see the remnants of that mighty supernova in the sky. On Sunday and Monday nights, look for Venus, wedged in between the horns of Taurus. Near one horn, the star Zeta Tau, you can see under high magnification the Crab Nebula. That tiny but distinct cloud represents the supernova’s remnants. — Andrew Fazekas

NIGHT SKY HIGHLIGHTS

Today’s soundtrack: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Daft Punk

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Mallory Benedict, Hannah Farrow, and David Beard. Want to say hello? We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

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