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A SURPRISING DISCOVERY FROM MICE

Friday, April 26, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we discover a possible cancer-fighting weapon, delve into bird flu’s big spread, meet the original members of the tortured poets department, search for spirits in the White House ... and go where Raiders of the Last Crusade once did.

A hairless laboratory mouse climbing out of a beaker that is held by a gloved, open-palmed hand.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MASSIMO BREGA, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Don’t gulp down extra egg yolks and fatty fish just yet, but a surprising discovery in mice (above) may point to a role for vitamin D in fighting cancer.

It has to do with the level of the vitamin in gut tissue and the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Could vitamin D trigger a chain of events that amplify our body’s attack on cancer cells? Here’s what we know.

Related: How aspirin can help fight colorectal cancer
Also: How magnesium affects sleep and anxiety

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A person is standing on a little wooden boat with a large wooden pole while three people are seated enjoying the view

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

These chalk streams (pictured above) took millions of years to develop, but will they last?

Bird flu is spreading from pole to pole. Here’s what you should know.

Online gambling is sweeping America, but at what cost?

From William Wordsworth to Emily Dickinson, Taylor Swift’s new album draws from a long legacy of Romantic-era literature.

How the Freemasons and 4 other secret societies changed the world

Are you an introvert, extrovert, or something in between? Here’s what we know.

When makeup could be blinding—literally

The real spy organization that inspired films

Why swimming may be the most beneficial exercise

Why this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect sense

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A man, with a red headdress, grey robe and cane, walks down stairs surrounded by layers of wall stones

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL SNYDER

Harrison Ford made it famous in an Indiana Jones movie. Climate change threatens to kill it. But can ancient technologies save the stunning, enchanting ruins in Petra?

PRESERVING A LEGACY

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

A black and white oil painting of Abraham Lincoln reading a book at a table in a living space with Mary, William, and Thomas.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

Special guests at the White House included … ghosts? Reflecting the 19th century’s rise in spiritualist beliefs, some of the United States’ first families held séances at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to nurse their grief. Among the participants were Mary Todd Lincoln (pictured above with her family) and Jane Pierce, who lost her only child just before becoming first lady. What did they seek?

SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT

Today’s soundtrack: Big Love, Camera Obscura

Stay safe this weekend! This newsletter has been curated and edited by Nancy San Martín, Nishita Naga, and David Beard. Know someone who might want our newsletter? Here’s the signup.

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