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PUTIN’S BABY BELUGA

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we question if this whale is a Russian spy, figure out what Adderall and Ritalin really do to us, visit Saint Sara for World Refugee Day ... and continue to look for the missing Titanic submersible.

Hvaldimir the whale

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICH GERMAN

He’s a friendly beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir (pictured above). He likes humans. When he splashed onto the scene in 2019 off northern Norway, he carried a Russian-produced camera harness.

Was Hvaldimir a Kremlin spy?

Now he’s on the move again, farther south, past Oslo and into Swedish waters.

HE MAY BE IN DANGER

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Hvaldimir the whale interacts with a human

Determined to interact: Hvaldimir actively seeks out human companionship. It’s an unusual behavior he may have learned in a military training program. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

a cuttlefish

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID DOUBILET, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Is Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid' an octopus? Sort of. (Above, a cuttlefish)

6 urgent questions on the missing Titanic submersible

If you don’t have ADHD, Adderall and Ritalin won’t work for you

What really attracts mosquitoes—and how to repel them

You may be overlooking this nutritional powerhouse. You shouldn’t.

The controversial quest to bring back the Tasmanian tiger

Is the Illuminati still powerful?

Disease spread. Native tribes were displaced, murdered. This is how the Gold Rush transformed California

Neanderthals brought a disease to the Vikings—and to us

Why are human skulls still being sold online?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

eukatyotes

ILLUSTRATION BY JACOPIN, BSIP/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Understanding a ‘lost world’: Without these complex cells, there would be no fish, flowers, mushrooms—or us. Yet we’re only learning about how far back these organisms go–it may be 1.6 billion years. Here’s what surprises a new study found about the origin of these organisms, known as eukaryotes (illustrated above).

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

four bald eagles

PHOTOGRAPH BY KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAM

National American Eagle Day: A bald eagle arrives to steal a perch on a tree log that offers a strategic view of the shoreline. Where is it?

A. Oregon
B. Florida
C. Alaska
D. Maine

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT

WORLD REFUGEE DAY

a Roma pilgrim embraces a statue of Santa Sara

PHOTOGRAPH BY GODONG, UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES

A banned saint—and a protector of the people: She’s many things to many people: the daughter of Jesus, an Egyptian handmaiden, a fierce warrior of creation and destruction. But to the Roma nation, Saint Sara-la-Kali is a patron protector—and thousands of Roma travel every year to visit the small village where she’s believed to have arrived on shore. (Above, a Roma pilgrim embraces a statue of Santa Sara.)

We asked, you answered: Thanks to readers who wrote in after Friday's newsletter on fighting heatstroke. “Your article helped me convince my younger compatriots that their ‘tough it out’ approach was dangerous,” writes Mary Henry. “I did not know that it is better to sip water throughout the day. I also did not know that if the body does not get sufficient cool down during the night, then the body is far less able to handle extreme heat during the day," wrote Katherine Levin.

Today’s soundtrack: Steal The Show, Lauv

Thanks for reading our newsletter! It was edited and curated by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]. Keep shining!

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