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THESE ‘BOG BODIES’ CARRY SECRETS

Saturday, October 21, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we see a convulsing giant volcano outside Naples, discover new truths about ‘bog bodies’ in Europe, learn two burgers may be too many ... and remember a future king’s horseride and a prince of a photographer.

Tollund Man’s peaceful face hides the violent cause of his death some 2,000 years ago. A woven leather cord, also preserved by the bog, suggests he was hanged before being placed in the bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION

Cast into wetlands, hundreds of bodies, dead for many centuries, have long appeared as opaque to archaeologists as their dark and watery graves. That’s how Nat Geo’s Christine Dell’Amore once put it.

New clues are clearing part of the murky mystery of their origins—and shedding new light on their amazing preservation in the bogs of northern Europe (above, Denmark’s Tollund Man and the puzzling leather cord around his neck.) At one time, researchers thought they knew the bog bodies’ secrets.

They don’t.

READ THE FULL STORY

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

The Solfatara crater in midday light, with steam rising from the ground.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SALVATORE LAPORTA, KONTROLAB/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES

A giant volcano near Naples has been convulsing. What does it mean? (Above, steam rising from the Solfatara crater.)

The scourge that took Harriet Tubman, Tolstoy, and Liszt still shakes the world today. Why has pneumonia endured?

What’s behind the mystery of four equally powerful back-to-back-to-back-to-back quakes in Afghanistan ?

U.S. charges poaching ring allegedly involved in massive Utah dinosaur bone heist

Twice a week: A new study says that’s too often to eat red meat if you want to keep diabetes at bay

Some are just gross; others can really harm you. Here’s how to stop creepy-crawlies from spoiling your next trip.

AI just deciphered part of an ‘unreadable’ ancient scroll. Here’s what it says.

There are many different types of dementia, and how it manifests depends on which part of the brain is damaged

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Prince Philip drives a horse-drawn coach in front of a snow-covered Windsor Castle

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES L. STANFIELD, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Out for a ride: The legendary Nat Geo photographer James Stanfield once captured future King Charles III in this carriage outside Windsor Castle—and Queen Elizabeth II liked it so much she used it for a Christmas card. Stanfield, who once had a whole issue of National Geographic dedicated to his work, died at age 86 on Oct. 13. The photo above, which hung in the queen’s dining room, was among the images Nat Geo published following her death in September 2022.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The jewel wasp hunts cockroaches and takes over their decision-making processes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANAND VARMA, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

The Walking Dead (for real): Zombie-like humans may not exist, but these tiny parasites invade their hosts, capture their minds, and make them do awful things. Here’s how it happens.

(Above, the jewel wasp hunts a cockroach and takes over its decision-making processes.)

READ THIS IF YOU DARE

Today’s soundtrack: La Cucaracha, DARIA

This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, Nancy San Martín, and Cameron Peters. Thanks for reading!

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