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WHAT VITAMIN C CAN
—AND CANNOT—DO

Monday, October 23, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we question the power—and hype—of vitamin C, look at a Norwegian town that could be wiped out by a tsunami ... and learn how scientists bring ancient faces back to life.

A grapefruit is surrounded by Vitamin C supplements.

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Pills, powders, and gummies. Laden with vitamin C (above), people take them to fight colds and flu, which hit harder this time of year.

But are vitamin C supplements worth it? A little, maybe, but not what we’ve been led to believe, we discover.

SHOULD WE TAKE THEM?

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

An elevated view of Geiranger and Geiranger fjord.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCAS VALLECILLOS, VWPICS/REDUX

A tsunami could wipe this Norwegian town off the map. Why isn’t everyone leaving? (Above, a fissure growing in the side of one cliff could unleash a deadly tsunami.)

The true story of ’Flowers of the Killer Moon’: What really happened in Osage County?

Why even infrequent servings of red meat can increase the risk of diabetes

Thousands of pounds of dinosaurs and other fossils were secretly excavated from government lands in Utah

An answer emerges to the mystery of long COVID

From Doris Day to James Brown to Mary Lou Retton: Why has pneumonia endured?

We thought we knew the secrets of Europe's bog bodies. We didn't.

A giant Italian volcano has begun a new period of rapidly shaking and inflating. Is an eruption next?

How scientists bring ancient faces back to life

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Sea water drops containing several plankton creatures from a night sampling.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGEL FITOR

How much life can there be in a single drop of water? Apparently, a lot.

Scientists estimate as many as a million organisms like the zooplankton (above) can live in a single drop .While these minuscule creatures and their water worlds are overlooked by most of us, Nat Geo photographer Angel Fitor has made them his muse, driven by what he calls an “insane passion.” Where do you think these organisms come from?

A: Your tap water
B: Mediterranean Sea
C: Lake Erie
D: Rio Grande

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Megan Kelly, Lisa Calvo, a marine scientist at Rutgers University, and Steve Evert, who runs the marine field station at Stockton University, empty bags of oysters on a boat in Port Republic, N.J.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HANNAH YOON, THE NEW YORK TIMES/ REDUX

The power of oysters: These bivalves have been as an unlikely solution to help save New York and other coastal areas from flooding and the next big storm.

How? The mollucks can act as natural water filters (an adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day), and can serve as barriers to storms and tides. Oysters (like the bucketfuls above) also have another surprisingly beneficial characteristic.

READ THE FULL STORY

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE COOK AND LEN JENSHEL

Tumbling tumbleweeds: These plants always get attention, from the twister scene in The Wizard of Oz to viral social media posts. But how exactly did these invaders from Russia’s steppes take over the American West? (Above, a crew removing giant tumbleweeds, notorious fire spreaders, from East Los Angeles.)

Today’s soundtrack: Graduation (Friends Forever), Vitamin C

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! It was curated and edited by Jen Tse, Cameron Peters, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Readers, do you swear by vitamin C to knock off colds and the flu or do you think the supplements are overrated? Let us know!

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