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WHAT MAKES DIAMONDS SPECIAL?

Thursday, March 21, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we examine how ads prompted generations to value diamonds for engagements, ask whether killer orcas may now be learning to live in groups ... and witness the laborious journey of a whooping crane.

A gigantic diamond rests on the palm of a hand

PHOTOGRAPH BY PATRICK LANDMANN, GETTY IMAGES

They are not scarce. They weren’t particularly valuable either. And definitely not a must-have.

How, in the last eight decades, did diamonds (pictured above) become so desired, so demanded, so obligatory, so budget-busting? It was no accident, and everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to the latest Instagram influencer plays a role.

SELLING THE SPARKLE

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

An orca's dorsal fin sticks out of the water

PHOTOGRAPH BY SLATER MOORE PHOTOGRAPHY

Studied for the first time ever: are ‘rogue’ killer orcas (pictured above) forming groups in the open ocean?

4,000? 10,000? 15,000? How many steps do you really need every day? Now we know.

Witnessing a solar eclipse can change the way you see the world. Here’s how.

Can people really flip cars and fight bears? How?

Fish along the Florida Keys are spinning in circles until they die—and no one knows why (Free article)

Retracing the path of Jesus’ final week

After France ditched its monarchy, it made one massive measurable change. What was it?

Billions of cicadas will spring forth this summer. Here’s what you need to know. (Free article)

Colossal volcano found on Mars—hidden in plain sight (Free article)

Scientists are finally studying women’s bodies. This is what we’re learning.

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Whooping cranes at sunrise, with pelicans in the back.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL FORSBERG

Why these beautiful birds matter: Nat Geo has been tracking the incredible migration of endangered wild whooping cranes (pictured, prancing above), which must fly across North America each year to ensure the survival of the species. Both the whooping cranes and the more common sandhill cranes stop on the journey in Nebraska’s Platte River Valley, where the leading edge of the whooping cranes are passing through right now, says photographer Michael Forsberg. We track one whooping crane’s flight.

Today’s soundtrack: The Crane Wife 1 & 2, The Decemberists

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

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