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‘THE UNIVERSE AS NOBODY HAS SEEN IT YET’

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

In today’s newsletter, we wonder at a new view of the universe, amplify Black female voices in shark science, go below the surface in Malaysian Borneo … and cover the campaign to persuade diners to devour the invasive green crab.

IMAGES BY NASA, ESA, CSA, AND STSCI

“You feel like the sky is opening up.”

That’s how NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen describes the first full-color images from the world’s most powerful space telescope. Humans saw the first image yesterday evening; other photos have been rolled out through the day.

Says Zurbuchen of the unparalleled majesty of curvy, colliding galaxies; the diaphanous ring blown by a dying star; and the atmospheric spectrum of a hot, Jupiter-like exoplanet: “You’re in a moment of time and space that you’ll forever remember because you saw the universe as nobody has seen it yet.”

What do the images signify? How will they change our view of our universe? What’s next now that this observatory has really gotten started on some science?

Here’s more images and our full story.

Pictured at top, the “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars are actually the edge of a nearby, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Above, Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies, is Webb’s largest image to date.

Above, a side-by-side comparison shows the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared light, at left, and mid-infrared light.

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY KYLE MCBURNIE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

What new drone images tell us about sharks (Above, a paddleboarder follows a juvenile great white shark off Santa Barbara, California)

Building a community—and fostering a love for sharks

Invasive green grabs: If you can’t beat them, eat them

When should you get the second COVID-19 booster?

A tiny European state where travelers contribute to science

California’s sweeping new plastics law could be a game-changer

SMARTER PLANET

PHOTOGRAPH BY MAKI NAKAMURA, GETTY IMAGES

Leave no trace: Camping this summer? Whether packing or setting up, keep environmental stewardship top of mind. Can you forgo costly new clothes or choose a less popular destination? These are just a couple of tips Hicks Wogan offers to help you leave your campsite as great as you found it. (Don’t forget to follow regulations on campfires.) Read more tips here.

Related: While on vacation, get in a little volunteering

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

How much do you actually know about sharks?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE SHONE, @SHONEPHOTO

Below the surface in Malaysian Borneo: How do researchers find out about tropical climate change over the last half-million years? You have to go deep for clues; in this case, down a sandy ramp in a cave in Gunung Mulu National Park. Nat Geo photographer, caver, and Explorer Robbie Shone (more about him here) accompanied a group of scientists on this study. More than 100,000 people have liked Shone’s image above on our Instagram page.

CLIMBING FOR HIS LIFE

IN A FEW WORDS

QUOTE

The world spends more money on ice cream every year than what would be needed to secure conservation efforts globally.

Marine ecologist, Nat Geo Explorer in Residence

Video: What a pristine ecosystem looks like

FUTURE FORWARD

PHOTOGRAPH BY HOUSTON WELLS

Tiny farmers: They manage food. Harvest it. Now, a new paper says a tiny species of gopher has practiced the essentials of agriculture long before humans did, improving its ecosystem. Nat Geo explores what we can learn from the pocket gopher (pictured above).

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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