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IS IT TIME FOR A CLEANSE?

Thursday, January 18, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we find out why cleanses are not recommended, explore mysterious seismic activity in Iceland, revisit “Operation Big Bang” … and thread through elaborate men’s fashion.

A diverse assortment of fruits, vegetables, and meat hangs in the air against a white backdrop.

PHOTOGRAPH BY QUENTIN BERTOUX, AGENCE VU/ REDUX

The ads claim more energy, clearer thinking, less bloating. And a cleanse, with rigid diet changes, may deliver on some of those claims—in the short term.

But the world's largest organization of nutritionists and dietitians doesn’t recommend cleanses. Here’s why.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A volcanic fissure spews lava and smoke as it erupts near the town of Grindavík, Iceland, on January 14, 2024.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SNORRI THOR, NURPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

An Icelandic town got lucky. But residents are unsettled for the next big lava flow (Above, the spewing volcano.)

The largest primate to ever exist

Why are women being diagnosed with ADHD more than ever before?

As males evolve to have better weapons, females develop bigger brains

What really happened the night Rasputin died?

‘Society of the Snow’ is based on a true story. Here’s what really happened.

Did science solve this age-old adventure mystery?

Interactive: How hot will your community be by 2070?

Lithium batteries power your world. How much do you really know about them?

Is organic food healthier?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

In one of the largest planned non-nuclear detonations in history, British forces blew up 7,000 tons of surplus ammunition on the tiny North Sea island of Heligoland in Operation Big Bang on April 18, 1947.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DPA, PICTURE ALLIANCE, GETTY IMAGES

Remember when the British tried to blow up a tiny island? Despite its unassuming size, Heligoland—or Helgoland—in Germany was heavily bombed by the British army after World War II in one of the world's largest planned non-nuclear explosions (above). Why would it do that?

‘OPERATION BIG BANG’

LAST GLIMPSE

Philip the Good, a Burgundian duke famous for his fashion sense, and his court are depicted in a miniature from the mid-15th-century manuscript Chronicles of Hainaut, illustrated by Rogier van der Weyden.

BRIDGEMAN/ACI

The former splendor of men's fashion: From the legendary styles of the Burgundian court to the emergence of the Italian Renaissance, clothing in the 14th and 15th centuries represented the complexities and growing finery of medieval European society. Most notably, the elaborate nature of men's clothing set the tone for future centuries (pictured above, Burgandy’s fashionable Philip the Good).

Today’s soundtrack: Vogue, Madonna

We hope this newsletter brightened your Thursday! It was curated and edited by David Beard, Nancy San Martín, Jen Tse, and Nishita Naga. Know someone who might want our newsletter in their inbox? Here’s the signup. See you tomorrow!

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