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DID WE REALLY CHEER MORE FOR ANIMALS REVOLTING IN 2023?

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we examine whether we really sided with animals that seemed to rebel against humans, compare available options for obesity drugs … and take a journey through haunted Appalachia?

An orca calf and two adults chase herring off Norway.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN SKERRY

Nature fighting back? If 2020 was the year that nature “healed,” 2023 was the year, supposedly, of nature’s revenge, Sadie Dingfelder writes for Nat Geo.

Across social media, we saw orcas (like those above) sinking yachts, javelinas destroying golf courses, and one feisty sea otter stealing surfboards. As the popular narrative goes, animals have had enough—and they are (finally!) revolting against human domination.

Is it true and did we really cheer them on?

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A man with a hoarding disorder is seen in his garbage-filled apartment, where he lives alone.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARNAUD CHOCHON, HANS LUCAS/REDUX

Why virtual reality offers hope for people with a hoarding disorder (Above, a man walking through his cluttered apartment.)

The secrets hidden in Anne Boleyn's Book of Hours

The sharp memory of bonobos

The centuries of folklore that inspired Miyazaki's final film

Why we crave sugar and fat—and what it does to our brains

The real meaning of bubble formations in ice

Cobalt powers our lives, but what does that mean?

Can we relieve hot flashes? It might be possible

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

An Ozempic (semaglutide) injection pen

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAAP ARRIENS, NURPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

A steady stream of obesity drugs (such as the above Ozempic injection pen)—which mimic naturally occurring hormones—are in the pipeline. Will this competition finally lead to lower prices and greater supplies of these highly effective drugs, and perhaps replace injectables with pills? Here's what we know.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY EVGENIA ARBUGAEVA

Lucky tusks—the goal of Siberian hunters: As the freezes of northern winters loom, hunters journey to find ivory tusks (above) hidden in icy landscapes. The relics are part of what little remain of the mammoths that once roamed northern Siberia, and are highly valued. Is it worth the hunt?

LAST GLIMPSE

A view of the majestic beauty that typifies the Great Smoky Mountains from the road along Clingman's Dome, the park's highest elevation at 6643 feet.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GERD LUDWIG, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Haunted Appalachia? Legend has it the Appalachian Mountains (above) are full of cryptids and the paranormal. Stories about the supernatural frequently circulate on social media.

The creatures said to inhabit these forests are intimately tied to the ancient landscape. We asked experts to impart their knowledge of the famous tales.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Today’s soundtrack: Appalachian Bluegrass Banjo & Fiddle Music, Visual Melodies

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

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