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WHAT IF YOU COULD TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DREAMS?

January 9, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we explore the health benefits of lucid dreaming, cozy up to Jane Austen’s world, find out what went wrong with a moon-bound spacecraft ... and learn about the Roman empress who changed the rules (for a while).

A photo illustration of a sleeping woman floating above herself

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY OSCAR BURRIEL, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Ever have a recurring dream you wish you could alter? Well, it is possible. It's called lucid dreaming and many people have likely experienced it before without knowing it.

Regular lucid dreaming can be especially helpful for reducing the frequency of nightmares, as well as insomnia and anxiety. It can also be useful to help people process their grief. Here is what we know about the benefits of lucid dreaming.

CONTROLLING YOUR DREAMS

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

The Vulcan rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JO

Historic moon lander malfunctions after launch—but NASA isn’t panicked (yet) (Pictured above, the Vulcan rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.)

How Japan builds to withstand earthquakes

These 10 simple steps can improve your 2024

How diet can add decades to your life

How to see the solar eclipse in 2024

Clothing from a 17th-century shipwreck reveals a lot about the lavish life of nobility

Why you should skip that cocktail before bedtime

Is a mutt better than a designer dog?

Did early humans interbreed with a ‘ghost population’?

Earth is getting 2 degrees Celsius hotter—what's the big deal?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

This engraving is an idealized version of the only surviving portrait of Jane Austen.

WHITE IMAGES/SCALA, FLORENCE

Jane Austen never wed, but she knew the rules of marriage. Unfortunately, her expertise did not come with book royalties that would have allowed her to flourish while she was alive. Still, the work from the prolific writer (above) continues to enthrall fans worldwide, with Pride and Prejudice and the other pointed, controlled novels (and film adaptations). What better way to curl up on a chilly day, under a weighted blanket?

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

A Bargibant's pygmy seahorse is nearly imperceptible against the branches of a Gorgonian sea fan in Indonesia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG LECOEUR, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Where is this animal hiding? Camouflage, or cryptic coloration, allows many different animals to blend into their environment. In fact, some animals use more than one kind of camouflage. From pygmy seahorses (pictured above) to snakes, each animal has its own way of hiding from predators. Which one of these is a camouflage tactic?

A. Opaque camouflage
B. Complementary camouflage
C. Olfactory camouflage
D. Inconspicuous markings

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

LAST GLIMPSE

Marble bust of Agrippina, first century A.D., from the Naples National Archaeological Museum

DEA/ALBUM

She didn’t play by the rules: This Roman empress was a master strategist. If she were a man, Agrippina (pictured above) might have been one of the greatest. But the great-granddaughter of Augustus gathered enemies with her bare-knuckled move to power, and was later done in by the one man she sought to save.

WHO WAS THAT MAN?

Today’s soundtrack: The Man, Taylor Swift

We hope this newsletter helped you get in the swing of a new year. It was curated and edited by David Beard, Nancy San Martín, Jen Tse, and Nishita Naga. Were you forwarded this email or know someone who might want our newsletter? Here’s the signup. See you tomorrow!

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