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THE BLOODSUCKERS IN YOUR BED

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore the inexorable spread of bedbugs, learn about the last witch of the 20th century ... and see how millions of trees could transform America.

Virginia Dare; a stone

PHOTOGRAPH BY RUDOLF KONIG, GETTY IMAGES

Fashion Week in Paris had a blood-sucking turn last week—an invasion of the tiny critters that bite you when you sleep.

But bedbugs are common bedfellows in other major cities as well (hello New York and Hong Kong). These bugs are excellent at what they do. Maybe too good.

WHY CAN’T WE GET RID OF THEM?

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Workers spray mattresses at an Army barracks in 1944 with DDT solution that fights bedbugs. Note: location unknown

PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN, GETTY IMAGES

Bedbugs have been sleeping—and biting us—for a long time. Above, workers spray mattresses at an Army barracks in 1944 with DDT solution in a battle against the bloodsucking critters. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

It may seem wildly impractical, but flashy plumage—such as the long, shimmery tail feathers of the king bird of paradise—evolved to serve a key goal: attracting potential mates.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HEIDI AND HANS JÜRGEN-KOCH

Flashy avian plumage—such as these long, shimmery tail feathers (above)—reveal clues about the secret lives of birds

How this NASA mission will uncover the secrets of a heavy metal world

The last witch of the 20th century

Was Einstein’s brain different than ours? Why was it taken?

The surprising way that millions of new trees could transform America

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

Are vitamin C supplements overrated?

Bras are older than you think—much older

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

The dissected brain of physicist Albert Einstein, removed by pathologist Thomas Harvey shortly after the great scientist's death, segmented and preserved in celloidin, circa 1980

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE PYKE, GETTY IMAGES

A brain to remember: After a medical researcher took Albert Einstein's brain, he moved to Kansas and became drinking buddies with which American author?

A. Willa Cather
B. Jack Kerouac
C. Edgar Rice Burroughs
D. William S. Burroughs

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Aaron Tam, is photographed above with his wife, Angela, and the couple's two children. The Iraq War veteran is wearing a mask representing Tam’s own brain, one subjected to blast force explosions. He created the mask in an art therapy program designed to address the psychological health of veterans.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN JOHNSON

Yes, that’s a mask: Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Aaron Tam, is photographed above with his wife, Angela, and the couple's two children. The Iraq War veteran is wearing a mask representing Tam’s own brain, one subjected to multiple blast force explosions. He created the mask in an art therapy program designed to address the psychological health of veterans. Today is World Mental Health Day. Here’s a look at the power of art to heal.

HEALING THE TRAUMA OF WAR

LAST GLIMPSE

The Psyche spacecraft in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on August 18, 2021. The mission will mark the first time humanity has explored a metal-rich asteroid, an endeavor to help scientists better understand the furious formation of the solar system.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA/JPL-CALTECH

Metal exploration: Its name is Psyche, it's loaded with metal, and a new spacecraft (above) will take six years to reach it.

The mission, set to launch this week, marks the first time humanity will explore a metal-rich asteroid, an endeavor to help scientists better understand the furious formation of the solar system.

And scientists hope to learn a lot from this mysterious world, where canyons and cliffs of sheer metal may cover the surface. “My biggest wish is that Psyche will completely surprise us,” one of them tells us.

Today’s soundtrack: Heavy Metal Drummer, Wilco

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

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