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Your Weekly Escape

Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

IMAGE BY SOLAR ORBITER/EUI TEAM/ ESA & NASA; CSL, IAS, MPS, PMOD/WRC, ROB, UCL/MSSL

The sun is getting stormier—just in time for a stunning show

The sun cycles between periods of storm and slumber over the course of 11 years or so. Now, the next solar cycle has ignited, with peak activity expected to happen under the watch of a fleet of sun-gazing spacecraft—and around the time of a total solar eclipse. Here are the dates you should circle on your calendar.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRITISH MUSEUM/SCALA, FLORENCE

The brutal, bizarre winter of 1709

People ice-skated on the canals of Venice. Travelers could cross the Baltic Sea on horseback. This freakish deep freeze caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and ultimately disrupted two major wars—but to this day, there is no conclusive theory for its cause.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE SHONE

Was this created by a Neanderthal? And is it 'art'?

A chess-sized piece of bone found in Germany’s Unicorn Cave was crafted before modern humans are believed to have arrived in the area, and is sparking questions about artistic expression beyond Homo sapiens.

ILLUSTRATION BY GABRIEL UGUETO

The mysterious frog that re-evolved a full set of teeth

More than 200 million years ago, the ancestors of modern frogs lost the teeth in their lower jaws. How did Guenther's marsupial frog regain them?

A TOOTHY MYSTERY

ART BY BRUCE MORSER

Is this the future of flight?

Engineers are hard at work designing the next generation of aircraft, from electric planes for short hops to revolutionary, hydrogen-powered models such as this prototype, called the Flying-V. Take a look inside.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

QUOTE

Never in my life have I seen a winter such as this one, which freezes the wine in bottles.

The Duchess of Orleans, 1709

From: The brutal, bizarre winter of 1709

PHOTOGRAPH BY FLPA, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The deepest earthquake ever detected struck 467 miles beneath Japan

If confirmed, the temblor would be a shock to geologists who thought rocks that deep inside Earth were too putty-like to break and shake.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MIKE FOSSUM, NASA/JSC

The brief (and strange) history of selfies in space

You take selfies. We take selfies. So do astronauts and space robots.

SEE MORE SELFIES

MORE GREAT READS

The books we loved in 2021 (NPR) ››

A socialite, a gardener, a message in blood (New York Times) ››

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