National Geographic | THE COMPASS

National Geographic

THE COMPASS

This week, we travel to the Great North to find ancient DNA and solve one of the greatest Arctic exploration mysteries. Also, see the boutique hotels that Norwegians are building for endangered bird species.

A portion of Greenland's ice sheet along the northeast coastline is seen from 40,000 feet

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA ARCHIVE, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

REVEALING A LOST ARCTIC WORLD

The oldest DNA ever analyzed is 2 million years old, and it revealed a past to Greenland previously unknown to scientists. What is now a tundra was once richly-forested and home to a plethora of reindeer, rodents, and more. Here’s what it looked like.

AN ANCIENT WORLD

Related: How ancient DNA has transformed archaeology

The Aurora borealis in the skies above Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK IRWIN

SEEING AURORAS FROM THE GREAT LAKES

You may not have to trek all the way to Iceland. The northern lights are visible from the upper Midwest of the United States as well. Start chasing the spectacle as early as August in these cities.

AWE-INSPIRING AURORAS

Related: How to photograph the Northern Lights, according to an expert

Nils Strindberg's haunting photograph of the wreckage from Andrée's balloon.

BETTMANN/ GETTY IMAGES

A 127-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY

In 1897, three explorers set out on an expedition to the North Pole. None of them returned. The disappearance became one of history’s greatest Arctic mysteries, but new photos may reveal the haunting truth.

GOOD READS

Pizzlies? Grolars? Here’s why we may soon see more hybrid species in the Arctic.

See the last flower at the top of the world

Norwegians are building boutique hotels for threatened Arctic birds

Why cold weather doesn’t mean climate change is fake

What are these unusual fossil-eaters atop this extinct underwater volcano?

In December, the village of Arctic Bay, Nunavut glows through the winter darkness

PHOTOGRAPH BY ACACIA JOHNSON

WHAT IS A POLAR NIGHT?

It’s not just the backdrop of a well-known TV miniseries. A regular winter occurrence in the far north regions of Earth, a polar night refers to a period of time when the Sun does not rise above the horizon for 24 hours. Here’s what it’s like to live through a polar night.

NEVER-ENDING NIGHTTIME

Related: Under the spell of ice and cold on an Arctic expedition

Today’s Soundtrack: August 10, Khruangbin

WHAT WILL WE EXPLORE NEXT?

Be sure to check your inbox next week to find out.

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