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ARE THESE ASTEROIDS
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT?

Thursday, September 28, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover the five biggest asteroid dangers to Earth, find a new (electric blue!) creature, explore why cats are such picky eaters ... and salute Frodo, the record-swimming humpback whale.

A 3D model of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, which is considered one of the more potentially hazardous asteroids to our planet.

NASA'S SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION STUDIO, DATA FROM NASA/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA/CSA/YORK UNIVERSITY/MDA

Maybe it will just be a close call. Their odds of hitting us? It’s not zero.

A few of these asteroids will be coming dangerously close. Here are five we should keep tabs on. This includes by far the biggest suspect (shown above).

HOW CLOSE WILL THEY GET?

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

This performer interacts with a robot in place of a traditional animal

PHOTOGRAPH BY FELD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

Ringling Circus is back—but this time, without animals (Above, a performer interacts with a robot.)

A humpback whale swam halfway around the world. His name is Frodo.

Women are more likely to be sleep deprived. Here’s why that’s so bad.

Meet Henry VIII’s most underrated wife—the queen who survived

Sequoyah, the U.S. state that almost existed

Who was Merlin? How an obscure Welsh bard turned into the original wizard

Inside the Irish ‘hell caves’ where Halloween was born

Looking for home remedies? These 6 herbs might be able to help

Why isn’t this proven cold medicine on store shelves?

Where did Paul McCartney get his inspiration for ‘Lady Madonna’? This Nat Geo photo, he tells us.

Meet ‘Dogxim,’ the world’s first known dog-fox hybrid—and a genetic oddity

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

The new tarantula, which sports blue and purple neon colors, was discovered in a mangrove in Thailand.

PHOTOGRAPH BY YURANAN NANTHAISONG

What is this thing? It has eight legs, is electric blue, and is something scientists are saying is “meant to be seen.” The newest species of what has been found in a mangrove in Thailand?

A. Caterpillar
B. Tarantula
C. Polyphemus moth
D. Wolf spider

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

PHOTO OF THE DAY

In Snelling, California, female equestrians known as escaramuzas wearing dresses and embroidered sombreros perform a synchronized horseback ballet at a full gallop as part of charreadas—Mexican rodeos.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NATALIE KEYSSAR

Giddy-up! On ranches hundreds of miles from the Mexican border, women known as escaramuzas wear elaborately embroidered dresses and sombreros as they perform a synchronized horseback ballet at a full gallop as part of charreadas—Mexican rodeos.

Hugely popular with Mexico’s elite, the highly competitive sport also thrives within diaspora communities in the United States. Above, members of the Flor de Gardenia (Gardenia Flower) team take part in a charreada in Snelling, California.

Learn more about this historical tradition taking place on both sides of the border.

FLOWERS ON THE SADDLE

LAST GLIMPSE

A blue Persian cat stares intensely at goldfish in a bowl

PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Missing sweet tooth: Part of the reason your cat turns up its nose at that cupcake left out on the kitchen counter but your dog will find a way to devour it is that pups can taste sugar—felines can’t.

There’s still a lot scientists don’t know about animal taste preferences. But researchers are starting to unravel some of the mysteries around our four-legged friends’ flavor fancies. (Above, a blue Persian cat stares at goldfish in a bowl.)

FURRY PICKY EATERS

Today’s soundtrack: Satellite, Guster

We hope this newsletter brightened your Thursday! 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. See you tomorrow!

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