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A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF EARTH

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

In today’s newsletter, we find images that reflect Earth’s birth and change, examine why seashells are harder to find, see Aztec-era islands revived through farming, discover productive ways to deal with climate anxiety … and track the surprising rise of Civil War victor Ulysses S. Grant.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLIVIER GRUNEWALD

How do we show the Earth’s origins and development from images of the world today? A French photographer has traveled the globe to capture the forces that shaped this planet: spewing volcanoes, dancing polar auroras, and fledgling life-forms.

From Olivier Grunewald’s lens, made over the past three decades, we see the yellow-and-green landscape where life likely began in Ethiopia (above), and these pregnant, diamond-like droplets on water moss in a Brazilian rainforest (below). Grunewald’s goal: to deepen appreciation and love for this big blue ball.

“It took 4.5 billion years to forge this lush, bountiful, and welcoming planet,” Grunewald tells us. “Now what will we do?”

See the images and full story here.

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SMARTER PLANET

ILLUSTRATION BY SIMONE NORONHA

Climate anxiety: Millennials are more worried than their parents were about bringing a child into the world. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given that they’ve grown up with more environmental concerns. They also face vexing choices on whether to move to a cooler region or in farming communities that face drought. But as Richard Schiffman writes, young people are learning to turn all that anxiety into action.

NOT YOUR DAD’S DOOMSDAY

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY AGAMI PHOTO AGENCY, ALAMY

How a tiny island is rallying to save an endangered bird (pictured above, the Rimatara lorikeet, endemic to French Polynesia)

Why are seashells disappearing?

In Mexico City, the pandemic has revived farming on its Aztec-era islands

See photos of America’s unique animal species

Why Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 are causing fresh U.S. outbreaks

The surprising rise of Civil War victor Ulysses S. Grant

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY @JASPERDOEST

The gardeners of Gabon: In Gabon’s Lopé National Park, the doughnut-shaped fruit of the Omphalocarpum procerum grows on its branches and trunk, which is common for rainforest trees. Scientists believe it’s an adaptation to promote pollination by insects found in the trees. Only elephants have jaws strong enough to crack open the hard, thick shells, swallowing—and passing—the intact seeds and making them more likely to germinate. But researchers have discovered that Earth’s warming temperatures could be lowering the fruit yield of many trees, which in turn seems to be causing forest elephants to go hungry, Nat Geo reports.

FUTURE FORWARD

PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE STEINMETZ

Sustainable tourism: We hear the term all the time but what does it really mean? The good news is that Americans say they want to travel responsibly, even if they aren’t quite sure what it means or how to do it. Here are 12 tips from Nat Geo on how to travel more sustainably. (Pictured above, coral reforestation on desolated reefs around Landaa Giraavaru Island in the Maldives.)

Related: Planning a camping trip? Try these eco-friendly tips

TRAVEL SUSTAINABLY

Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by Monica Williams, Heather Kim, Jen Tse, and David Beard. Have an idea or feedback for us? Drop us a line.

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