National Geographic | National Geographic

National Geographic

CAN ANYTHING STOP THESE
DOG-SIZE LIZARDS?

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore an explosion of 4-foot-long lizards in the United States, find a solid link from COVID to the heart ... and check out 30 places to travel next year.

A black-and-white tegu lizard

PHOTOGRAPH BY KIKE CALVO, GETTY IMAGES

They multiply quickly. They're voracious. And they're marching through Georgia, Florida, and much of America’s Southeast.

What are these dog-size lizards (shown above) and where did they come from? Not here.

Argentine tegus, popular with pet owners, are breeding in multiple states after escape or release from captivity. When roaming free, they ravage egg-laying animals and keep expanding their range. What are officials doing?

CAN THEY BE STOPPED?

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A human heart, showing the arteries and veins which supply blood to the cardiac muscles. The blood vessels, which lie immediately below the surface of the heart, have been injected with a dye, making visible even the smallest capillaries that form this exquisite arterial network.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Now we know how COVID attacks the heart (shown above, with the arteries and veins that supply blood to cardiac muscles)

What is leaky gut syndrome? Does it really cause all that stuff?

Why is olive oil the best oil for your health?

6 vitamin combinations that could improve your life

How a Dry November could jump-start your body

It is the earliest version of a popular curse ever recorded. The 2,400-year-old diss came from a priestess.

Noise pollution affects your whole body

The best time of the day to eat

Bummed out about shorter days? Here‘s what you need to know about seasonal depression.

Three giant pandas are headed to China from the U.S. Meet Mexico's ‘forgotten panda.’

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A group of caribou moves easily over snow.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KATIE ORLINSKY

For millennia Indigenous communities in Alaska have relied on caribou herds (above) for sustenance. But recently, caribou numbers have declined dramatically, for reasons scientists are trying to unravel. What's happening?

CARIBOU MYSTERY

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Photographed at 400 times magnification, a tree branch

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT BERDAN

What is this? Thinly sliced, tinged with red, and photographed at 400 times magnification, this tree branch calls to mind not wood but macramé. In this image, parenchyma cells, which are the foundation of all plant tissue, resemble holes, while a banding pattern reflects the tree’s annual growth. What tree is this from?

A. Oak
B. Maple
C. Poplar
D. Elm

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERTO MOIOLA, GETTY IMAGES

Why go where everyone else does? We’ve come up with a “cool list” of 30 of the most exciting destinations to see next year. Among them: the twisting drive along the E10 pass in northern Norway’s Lefoten Islands (above).

Related: The best compact cameras of 2024
Also: The best video cameras of the year

Today’s soundtrack: Picture Book, The Kinks

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! It was curated and edited by Jen Tse, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Have an idea for us? Let us know! See you tomorrow!

Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply.

This email was sent to: [email protected]. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.

This email contains an advertisement from:
National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036

Stop all types of future commercial email from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences.

Manage all email preferences with the Walt Disney Family of Companies.

© 2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved.