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THE COLDEST OF COLD CASES

Thursday, August 17, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we see the man who was murdered 700 years ago, figure out what “girl dinner” is all about, rethink letting our pups smooch us ... and learn about a star that collapsed into a black hole about 2 billion light-years away.

Reconstructing Bocksten Man's face begins with a 3D printed replica of his skull. Nilsson attaches small pegs to the plastic skull that will serve as guides in the reconstruction process, then shapes the chin and jaw muscles and adds the nose, facial muscles, ears, and skin.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY OSCAR NILSSON

After smashing the man’s skull, the killer tried to hide the body by staking it to the bottom of a peat bog.

But, in a twist worthy of a murder mystery, the bog kept much of the remains restored for seven centuries, until a 5- and 11-year-old brother and sister discovered the Bocksten Man.

Now a renowned forensic artist and archaeologist has reconstructed Bocksten’s face (above). The discovery yields critical clues about his time. How was the face reconstructed? And what about the crime?

MURDER IN THE BOG

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Oscar Nilsson’s recreation of Bocksten Man relied on the mortal remains as well as the garments found with the body.

As he looked before his death: The final facial reconstruction reveals the Bocksten Man (above) with the style of garments found with his body. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

candy, Cheetos, ramen, canned food, cheese, and meats

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

‘Girl dinner’ broke the internet. Here’s what nutritionists think about it. (Above, candy, Cheetos, ramen, canned food, cheese, and meats)

Millions of Americans drink raw milk—but is it safe?

The toll that sleep apnea takes on the body

The EG.5 COVID variant is spiking in the U.S. Is it time to mask up?

An unprecedented look inside one of Jerusalem’s holiest—and most controversial—landmarks

These 12 men shaped Christianity—but did they really exist?

How this tiny country feeds the world

South Korea is a test case on how to fight an ecological disaster

Hidden details from the Battle of the Bulge come to light

This Nat Geo Explorer’s storytelling is helping safeguard the Okavango Delta and Indigenous knowledge

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen was produced during the collapse of a massive star about two billion light-years away. It illuminated dust rings in our galaxy, seen in this image from the XMM-Newton space telescope.

IMAGE BY XMM-NEWTON/M. RIGOSELLI (INAF)/EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

It’s the B.O.A.T. (brightest of all time): A massive star collapsed into a black hole about two billion light-years away—and sent out opposing high-speed jets of particles and light (shown above). Scientists are still surprised at the record-breaking brightness—and will be for some time. Here’s what we know.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Hank is part basset hound and part blue heeler.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK

(Don’t) pucker up: A big ol' slobbery kiss from your favorite pooch isn’t as innocent as you think. Dogs have a lot of bacteria that lurk in their mouths, and while the pathogens pose no threats to the pups, they could turn deadly in humans. (Above, Hank, part basset hound and part blue heeler.)

SECOND GUESSING PUPPY KISSES

LAST GLIMPSE

an ice cream cone

PHOTOGRAPH BY KRISTA ROSSOW, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Did you know? The uncommon origins of common products may surprise you—or at the very least give you interesting tidbits to talk about at your next dinner party. Like how antifreeze’s history extends from dynamite to ice cream (above), or how cedar oil can both repel insects and heal humans. Read more here.

Clarification: Yesterday’s newsletter properly noted the belief that Muhammad ascended to heaven from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, but raised the question if they were his last moments on Earth. It is written that he had a spiritual journey in heaven, then returned to Earth. Here’s our story.

Today’s soundtrack: Love Me More, Mitski

We hope this newsletter brightened your day! It was curated and edited by David Beard, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and Jen Tse. Know someone who might want our newsletter in their inbox? Here’s the signup. Thanks for reading!

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