National Geographic | National Geographic

National Geographic

THEY HELP US.
CAN WE HELP THEM?

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we figure one person’s trash is another’s treasure, take a trip to Grand Teton National Park, find Asian American roots throughout the USA ... and make daggers out of space metal. Plus, what's going to happen with this 1944 law?

waste pickers go through plastic bottles

PHOTOGRAPH BY SARA HYLTON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Informal waste pickers—people who go through trash on the curb before haulers roar in—play a huge role in keeping mountains of reusable trash from landfills.

The Supreme Court has ruled that once trash hits the curb, it’s public property—but a new type of trash container, designed to discourage rats, is having an unintended effect.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Want to keep exploring? Unlock this exclusive story and more. See subscription options.

Josefa Marin

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN MINCHILLO, AP IMAGES

Call her a bottle professional: At a Brooklyn nonprofit redemption center, Josefa Marin stands for a portrait. Center employees say she and others know by heart each recycling and trash pick-up route—and they redeem mountains of empty containers that the city otherwise would send to landfills. At top, people separating plastic containers by color before they can be remade into pellets. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

two people walk in Grand Teton National Park

PHOTOGRAPH BY AARON HUEY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Exploring out West? Here’s how to visit Grand Teton National Park (pictured above)

These genes control obesity. Here’s what we know.

Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us?

Why America’s greatest racehorse still dominates the track today

It was America’s first English colony. Then it was gone. Here are clues to where it went.

These foods can help you fight off everyday stress

With the COVID public health emergency expiring tomorrow, the world before vaccines is a world we can’t afford to forget

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a star unlike ever seen before

Baby apes are being stolen for pets—and little is being done to stop it

BORDER SPOTLIGHT

a person swims across the Rio Grande

PHOTOGRAPH BY VICTORIA RAZO

Time’s up: An obscure World War II provision somehow became the focus of U.S. immigration policy. The expiration of Title 42 tomorrow has prompted nervousness and the dispatch of 1,500 U.S. troops along the border with Mexico. Here’s how we got there. (Pictured above, migrants crossing the Rio Grande in 2021 to return to Mexico.)

WHAT IS TITLE 42?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

and bride and groom have a traditional Vietnamese wedding in Virginia

PHOTOGRAPH BY KAREN KASMAUSKI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Asian American roots in the USA: Between parks and landmarks, foods and festivals, tales of immigration and belonging are sprinkled throughout the United States—if you know where to look. Like the picture above, a bride and groom celebrate their traditional Vietnamese wedding in Virginia.

Related: A ‘model minority’ myth masks a history of discrimination

IRON, MAN

the Hoba meteorite

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAOLO VERZONE

It fell from the sky: Did you know King Tut had a dagger made from space metal? And he wasn’t the only ancient ruler to own treasures wrought from iron meteorites (like one pictured above). The Egyptians even wrote about a “metal of the sky,” suggesting they may have been aware of its celestial origins. Read the whole story here.

HOW WE DISCOVERED IRON

THE NIGHT SKIES

An illustration of the night sky

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Goddess of Love: Next couple of days, as soon as it gets dark, look toward the western sky for the brightest point of light, the planet Venus. If you point your binoculars or telescope at our neighboring world you’re in for a cosmic treat because it is joined by a bright star cluster. Known as Messier 35, this collection of stars sits near the foot of Castor in the Gemini constellation. Imagine that the light you see this cluster by left on its journey when Nabonassar was king of Babylon. At dawn on Saturday, the crescent moon meets in the southeast with the true lord of the rings, planet Saturn. Get a tour of the night sky every week with my Night Sky This Week livestream. Wishing you clear skies! — Andrew Fazekas

NIGHT SKY HIGHLIGHTS

Today’s soundtrack: Venus, Lady Gaga

Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misidentified the photographer of an image on iron’s other-worldly origins. It was Nat Geo's Mark Thiessen.

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

Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply.

This email was sent to: [email protected]. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.

This email contains an advertisement from:
National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036

Stop all types of future commercial email from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences.

Manage all email preferences with the Walt Disney Family of Companies.

© 2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved.