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THESE FLIGHTLESS GIANTS HAD DEADLY CLAWS

Thursday, October 12, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover the terrifying weapon of ‘terror birds’, follow Bigfoot sightings, find out why feeling bad after the COVID shot is actually good ... and learn a daily aspirin could do more harm than good. Also, is climate change helping a French wine?

Helen MacFarlane Duncan was a Scottish medium best known as the last person to be imprisoned under the British Witchcraft Act of 1735.

ILLUSTRATION BY H. SANTIAGO DRUETTA

Like the fierce dinosaurs that came before, these fearsome carnivores were huge, rising up to 10 feet tall, stalking grasslands and getting a nightmare of a nickname—terror birds.

Newly discovered footprints from six million years ago reveal how these giant birds (depicted above) used Velociraptor-like techniques to capture and devour their prey.

Unlock this article with Nat Geo Premium! Get access now to exclusive stories, plus a century of archives, photos, and videos. See subscription options starting at just $19/yr.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A patient is inoculated against SARS-CoV-2 in the Netherlands on October 2, 2023.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KOEN VAN WEEL, ANP/REDUX

It’s good to feel bad after your COVID shot (above). Why?

Bigfoot? Here’s where people have claimed to see the legendary beast

13 stunning photos from this year’s best wildlife photographers

An aspirin a day could do more harm than good

This queen may have been outshined her male Viking counterparts

The Fat Bear Week winner Related: Bears at Disney World? Get used to it, experts say

Why intrude on people who remain remote from society?
See: The trailer for ‘The Mission ’
Related: Photographing Indigenous communities

She was Britain's last person tried for witchcraft—in the 20th century

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Orcas in the eastern North Atlantic population, such as this one in Norway, primarily feed on herring and are less polluted than their western counterparts.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN SKERRY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Toxic chemicals have long polluted the bodies of killer whales. But a new study reveals that orcas in the western North Atlantic, including those in the Arctic, are significantly more contaminated than animals in the east such as those swimming in waters off Norway (above). Why is that?

POLLUTED BODIES

PHOTO OF THE DAY

An assortment of imperfect-looking produce that never made it to markets.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN FINKE

Tossed out: Every year some six billion pounds of fruits and vegetables go unharvested or unsold in the United States. The reason? Imperfection. But ‘ugly’ produce (above) can help solve world hunger. Find out how.

Related: The hidden beauty of the plants that feed the world

LAST GLIMPSE

Vineyards in Bordeaux, France, like this one photographed in 2016, have typically depended on rainfall for their water, so climate change directly influences wine productivity.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NEIL MASSEY, CAMERA PRESS/REDUX

Cheers! What are we toasting? In Bordeaux, France, one of the world’s premier wine-growing regions, climate change may actually make wine taste better—for now.

According to a new study based on 70 years worth of data, vineyards in Bordeaux (above) have benefitted from years of warmer, drier summers; cooler, wetter winters; and earlier, shorter growing seasons. Will that last? Read more.

Today’s soundtrack: S teel Claw, Tina Turner

We hope this newsletter brightened your Thursday! It was curated and edited by David Beard, 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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