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KILL THE PYTHON, BUT
SKIP THE BLOODLUST

Monday, December 11, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we get a behind-the scenes look at the hunt for Burmese pythons in Florida, track the disappearing frankincense trees, learn how to fight salmonella ... and climb a forbidding mountain.

Amy Siewe wrestles with an almost 12-foot Burmese python after pulling it from the brush on Aug. 12, 2023. Amy Siewe teaches people how to find and euthanize invasive Burmese pythons, which have been so successful at adapting to Florida that they appear here to stay.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ZACK WITTMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

It seems biblical. A land overrun by snakes. In Florida, it’s Burmese pythons (one 12-foot version above). Now, 100 elite hunters are shooting and trapping their way through swampland to rid the state of the invaders, one by one.

Is that the best way to do it? Who is picked for this force? Are they making a difference?

READ THE FULL STORY

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

An illustration of Gorgosaurus consumption

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIUS CSOTONYI, ROYAL TYRRELL MUSEUM OF PALAEONTOLOGY

Dino nuggets ... for dinosaurs? A young tyrannosaur’s last meal gives new insight (Above, illustration of juvenile Gorgosaurus consuming its prey)

How magnesium affects your sleep and anxiety

Bears really do chase skiers—but is this video fake?

Cooking oil just fueled a transatlantic flight. But is it a solution?

Out of ideas for what presents to give this holiday season? Here are 12 last-minute gifts for the curious and adventurous

What archaeologists say about the real Jesus

Discovering lips on a T. rex—and other wild scientific finds of the year

Finding a lost Maya city—and other amazing 2023 archaeological discoveries Related: What really caused the collapse of the Maya civilization?

These 6 U.S. Christmas markets feel like a fairy tale

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY MINGMA DAVID SHERPA

Happy International Mountain Day! You might not be summiting this Himalaya peak, like the elite Nepali mountaineer shown above, but you can climb steps or a StairMaster today with a sense of purpose. This climber is one of 10 who made it to the top of this forbidding peak in this historic expedition. Which mountain is this?

A. Meru
B. K2
C. Everest
D. Nanga Parbat (Killer Mountain)

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A colored transmission electron micrograph of salmonella bacteria

MICROGRAPH BY A. DOWSETT, NATIONAL INFECTION SERVICE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Salmonella 101: Poisoning typically occurs when you eat food that has been contaminated with the bacteria—seen here in a colored transmission electron micrograph. Here’s what you need to know to fight it.

WHAT’S IN YOUR FOOD?

LAST GLIMPSE

Frankincense trees, found throughout northern Africa and in India, Oman, and Yemen, are increasingly under pressure, largely because of overexploitation for their aromatic resin.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL MELFORD, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

That time of year: Frankincense trees (above)—of biblical lore—are being tapped out for essential oils. The fragrant resin gifted to the newborn Jesus may be at risk of disappearing, writes Rachel Fobar for our Wildlife Watch investigative unit.

Today’s soundtrack: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Cannonball Adderly

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