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FINALLY, A CLUE TO A CRIPPLING MYSTERY

Monday, November 6, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we unravel the mystery of long COVID, discover the science behind seasonal depression, learn about Jackie Kennedy’s double heartbreak ... and examine the stranger-than-you-think history of playing cards.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN, THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES

Millions of Americans who had COVID didn’t know why they are still suffering from brain fog and crippling fatigue (shown above), months and even years after getting infected.

Now, we're beginning to understand.

A new study says leftover COVID inflammation in the gut may disrupt serotonin communication with the brain. leading the authors to a tantalizing suggestion: Could antidepressants help?

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

Diana Nyad, pictured here at age 61, trains to swim from Key West, Florida to Cuba. It was one of five times over three decades the long-distance swimmer endeavored to make the 110-mile trek. She ultimately succeeded in 2013, at age 64, on a record-breaking swim from Cuba to Florida.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFFERY SALTER, REDUX

The story behind Diana Nyad's record-breaking swim from Cuba to Florida (Nyad, pictured above at age 61 while training.)

An aspirin a day? It may do more harm than good.

What makes the key ingredient of the Mediterranean diet so good for us?

When darkness comes earlier: What’s the science behind seasonal depression?

See: Playing cards from the ancient T’ang Dynasty to Renaissance Europe to Pokémon

Are you a night owl or an early-riser? Your body clock tells the story.

Too good to be true? No, how cutting out alcohol jump-starts your body

Here are the best times of the day to eat

The toll that sleep apnea takes on the body

These 12 men shaped Christianity—but did they really exist?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The Kennedys arrive in San Antonio, Texas, at the start of what was planned to be a three-day trip in November 1963.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN, GETTY IMAGES

Jackie Kennedy already was in mourning: The first lady’s fateful November 1963 trip to Dallas with President John F. Kennedy was meant to be a return to duty. She had been in seclusion since the premature birth and death that August of a son, Patrick. That’s part of a new National Geographic series on John Kennedy’s final days, 60 years ago this month. (Above, the Kennedys arriving in Texas.)

Watch: JFK: One Day in America on Disney+ and Hulu

THE TRIP TO DALLAS

COMING UP?

PHOTOGRAPH BY LOUIE PALU

Is the next big war here? While much of the world's attention is on Ukraine and Israel-Gaza, the militarization of the top of the world is intensifying. Russia has stationed planes in Arctic bases, partly to escape Ukraine counterattacks. And China has declared itself an Arctic nation. In this prescient archival piece, Nat Geo lays out the new Cold War in the thawing Arctic. (Above, U.S. troops training in Alaska.)

THE NORTHERN FRONT

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Students at Georgia's Clark Atlanta University observe a round-bottom flask during a chemistry lesson. This previously unpublished photograph was taken for a 2018 story about enrollment at historically Black institutions, which has surged the past two years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NINA ROBINSON

HBCU time: Students at Georgia's Clark Atlanta University observe a round-bottom flask during a chemistry lesson. This previously unpublished photograph was taken for a 2018 story about enrollment at historically Black institutions, which has surged the past two years.

‘I LEARNED HOW
TO BE BRAVE’

Today’s soundtrack: She Calls Me Back, Noah Kahan, Kacey Musgraves

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! It was curated and edited by Jen Tse, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Let us know!

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