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THIS DRUG COULD MAKE YOU WORK HARDER. BUT SMARTER?

Thursday, June 22, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn a remote undersea vehicle has been destroyed in Titanic search; are surprised by a new study on Ritalin and Adderall ... and learn why a monarch butterfly’s spots are its superpower.

A handful of Adderall

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIZABETH D. HERMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

The joke’s on every college student who borrowed a friend’s Ritalin or Adderall (pictured above) to do better on a test or a presentation.

Yes, it makes you work harder. But not better, at least if you are not diagnosed with ADHD. In fact, a new study shows, you’ll do worse.

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

two dogs in a car

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

How monarch butterflies got their spots (above, wintering in Mexico)

Titanic search led to destruction of one remote operating vehic;e; others moving toward scene

The Titanic itself was found during a secret Cold War Navy mission

How to protect yourself from ticks—and what to do if you are bitten

The death of Olympic sprinter Torie Bowie
shines a light on a shockingly high U.S. maternal mortality rate

What really attracts mosquitoes—and how to repel them

They’re a nutritional powerhouse. Do you get enough of them to eat?

Is Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid' an octopus? Sort of.

The strange saga of Hvaldimir the ‘Russian spy whale’

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

a woman with curly hair

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Break out the curling iron: Heat, blow outs, treatments—we do (and spend) a lot to straighten our hair. But have you ever questioned why some of us have curly hair in the first place? New science shows curls (a woman with some above) were an evolutionary advantage—and may be why we have such big brains.

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY RENAN OZTURK

Where three countries meet: For today’s World Rainforest Day, we’re showing you a dramatic flat-topped mountain on the edge of three nations. What are they?

A. Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay
B. Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela
C. Uganda, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JENN EMERLING, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Staying sun safe this summer: Is noon the worst time to be in the sun? Is there anything to the concept of a base tan? Is putting a hat on enough? These questions and more, we answer. (Pictured above, vacationers sit under umbrellas in Palm Springs.)

Related: Kids need sunglasses as much as—or more than—adults. Here’s why.

SUN CARE QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Today’s soundtrack: Venusian, Julie Dexter and Khari Simmons

We hope this newsletter brightened your Thursday! It was curated and edited by David Beard, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and Jen Tse. Have a story idea? Let us know here. Know a friend who might want our newsletter in their inbox? Here’s the signup. See you tomorrow!

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