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FAST SPREADING. PATHOGENIC. COMING OUR WAY?

Thursday, March 7, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we track down a fast-spreading form of bird flu, discover why some men use ‘horny goat weed’ ... and delve into the Black roots of country music. Plus, how did artists draw an elephant without having any idea of one?

Birds perched on rocks and in the sky why and yellow feathers under blue sky.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASPER DOEST, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

A polar bear in Alaska got it. Seabirds in Scotland died en masse. Elephant seals nearly disappeared from a breeding site in Argentina.

The HSN1 strain of bird flu speading around the world now is highly pathogenic. Bird flu commonly jumps to mammals; this strain’s virulence is alarming infectious disease experts.

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW?

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A juniper tree, with green leaves and a grey, twisted trunk grows in rocks in a canyon with a river snaking through

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEITH LADZINSKI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

What is ‘horny goat weed’? 4 herbs that may be beneficial to men’s health (Pictured above, juniper)

They took Manhattan: The Dutch spent more than $24

Where your headaches may actually begin (Hint: It’s not in your brain.)

These 3 samurai women were heroes of shōgun-era Japan

How did this female pharaoh survive being erased from history?

The Pyrocene: Are animals actually evolving to live with fire?

Lincoln was killed before their eyes. Then their own horror began.

Vanished: the disappearing dog breed in the Pacific Northwest

For the first time ever, this Orca was seen killing a great white shark all by itself

Never forget: The Holocaust really happened. Here’s proof.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Country singer Charley Pride playing the guitar

PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN, GETTY IMAGES

Returning to country’s roots: Thanks to modern musicians like Rhiannon Giddens, we are increasingly aware of the contributions of Black artists to country music, from the African roots of the banjo, to the musical breakthroughs of musicians like Charley Pride (pictured above). Since the genre’s beginnings, Black country artists have laid the foundation for some of the most iconic country music tunes nationwide. Here’s how.

THE ROOTS OF COUNTRY

IMAGE OF THE DAY

An upward view of an elephant that resembles a horse trampling a man

PHOTOGRAPH BY TERENCE KERR/ ALAMY

How to draw an elephant … if you’ve never seen one before? Illustrators in medieval Europe would usually be tasked to draw animals that they had never laid eyes on. More importantly, these illustrations would be representative of Christian spiritual virtues. For example, elephants (pictured above, painted in a late Gothic fresco in Italy’s Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta) were said to be the mortal enemies of dragons, which represented the devil.

ELEAZAR’S ELEPHANT

Today’s soundtrack: 16 Carriages, Beyoncé (feat. Rhiannon Giddens)

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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