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OXFORD, HOME TO THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST ... KILLERS?

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover why these medieval students were so murderous, stop using a useless drug we’ve been taking for decades, find out how Canada got a little bit bigger ... and question how this COVID shot is different.

This 14th-century bollock knife, named for its distinctive hilt, was commonly used in the European Middle Ages as an eating utensil, tool, and weapon. Often referred to as a "kidney dagger," it would have been carried by many medieval students at Oxford—an uncommon number of whom apparently harbored murderous intent.

PHOTOGRAPH BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Smart. Young. Connected. Killers? Long before the British town was known for its intellectuals and luminaries, Oxford had another distinction, a recent study notes—a murder rate five times that of London.

Why? The dagger (shown above) may be a clue.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A nurse holds up a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine alongside a single dose of the flu vaccine at the Feixa Llarga nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, where residents are being inoculated against both viral infections.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ZOWY VOETEN, GETTY IMAGES

Why the new COVID shot is a game-changer—and don't call it a booster! (Above, a nurse holding a vaccine)

What is POTS? This strange disorder has doubled since the pandemic

How a guitarist from the band Queen helped NASA land on an asteroid

Weird science: Bras are older than you think

New cancer treatments may be on the horizon—thanks to mRNA vaccines

Celine Dion suffers from stiff person syndrome. What exactly is it, and how common is it?

Ginkgo trees nearly went extinct. Here’s how we saved these ‘living fossils.’

Why are these orcas killing sharks and removing their livers?

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Landsat 1, launched in July 1972, was the first satellite designed to study Earth from orbit. The spacecraft is seen here in flight configuration with its solar panels deployed at the former GE plant in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA

Looking down on Earth: This was the first satellite designed to study earth from orbit. What was it called?

A. Rossini
B. Landsat 1
C. Telstar
D. Telluride 5

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

Related: How a satellite found a tiny island—and made Canada a bit bigger

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Many over-the-counter cough and cold medications contain phenylephrine, a purported decongestant that was recently deemed ineffective.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NEWSCAST/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES

Stuffy nose? Congested? Cold? Flu? You’ve probably turned to popular medicines like Sudafed and NyQuil to ease your symptoms. But scientists knew a drug within those products was useless—so why have you been using it for decades?

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

LAST GLIMPSE

Tahlia Fischer, founder and director of the California-based equine rescue organization All Seated In a Barn, visits rescued horse Big Sexy at the Outlaw Equine Hospital and Rehab Center in Decatur, Texas, on March 4.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BALAZS GARDI

High noon: Texas is home to one of the largest horse auctions in the United States, where seasoned traders and rescuers face off each month over the fate of hundreds of horses. (Above, the founder of an equine rescue organization visits rescued horse Big Sexy.)

Related: How U.S. racehorses end up on dinner plates

Today’s soundtrack: Mansard Roof, Vampire Weekend

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

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