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THRIVING, SILVER-LADEN, THEN GONE

Monday, May 13, 2024

In today’s newsletter, we discover a long-lost civilization, discover a new threat to Mars, examine how Rasputin died, meet Nat Geo’s Explorer of the Year ... and reveal the stunning flower at the top of the world (scroll down to guess where it is).

the lighthouse and fort at Spain's port of Cádiz, which once marked the western limits of the Phoenician world.

CAVAN IMAGES/ AGE FOTOSTOCK

For centuries, one question haunts historians about a thriving, silver-laden land that married the adroit Phoenicians from across the Mediterranean and the people of southern Spain?

How did it just disappear?

It’s hard not to underscore the importance of the craftspeople and traders of this cosmopolitan state. Was it a precusor to southern Spain’s (pictured above) later time of scientific advancement fueled by collaborating Muslims, Jews, and Christians? Researchers are finding surprising clues.

SOLVING A MYSTERY

Related: Who were the Moors?
Also: Jezebel, the Phoenician queen who became a biblical villain

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A photograph of a mandala offering made from herbs, flowers, and gifts from the earth

PHOTOGRAPH BY WARWICK SAINT

6 herbs (pictured above) that can help with home remedies

Poisoned, shot, or drowned: Here’s how Rasputin really died

How real is the five-second rule? Can you actually eat the chips you dropped on the ground?

Just announced: Meet Nat Geo’s Explorer of the Year

The surprising clues about bunions

The health benefits (and limits) of e-bikes Related: How biking can improve your mental health

Are your peppers getting less spicy?

Why are vitamins named after letters?

The best travel backpacks for any kind of trip

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft image of the asteroid Didymos (bottom right) and its moonlet (Dimorphos (centre)

PHOTOGRAPH VIA NASA/JOHNS HOPKINS APL, SCIENCE SOURCE

Sorry, Mars! the Red Planet could take the brunt of humanity’s first-ever planetary defense experiment. A NASA rocket that struck one asteroid to change its trajectory unleashed a swarm of boulders—and a new study suggests that there may be some unintended consequences. What are they trying to avoid?

PLANET PROTECTION?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A yellow flower blooming at the top of a mountain

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF KERBY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Where is the flower at the top of the world? Transcending peril, Nat Geo Explorers pushed Earth’s northern edge, which was filled with dark gray gravel and frozen sea ice. Suddenly, they found a Technicolor surprise—a brilliant yellow and lime-green Arctic poppy (above). Where was it?

A. Alaska
B. Canada
C. Greenland
D. Norway

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER

Related: The tree at the bottom of the world—and the wind-blasted trek to find it

LAST GLIMPSE

A glowing red earth outlines parts of Europe as a design as a singer performs.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JENS BÜTTNER/ DPA VIA GETTY IMAGES

And the winner … The Swiss singer and battle rapper Nemo is the winner of the annual Eurovision song competition (hear their song below). The competition (shown above) has been a European staple for decades. But how did it begin?

THE ANSWER MAY
SURPRISE YOU

Today’s soundtrack: The Code, Nemo

Today’s newsletter was curated and edited by Nishita Naga, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Let us know if you have any suggestions for us.

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