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CHOPPERS ON MARS HOLD KEY TO FINDING TRACES OF LIFE

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

In today’s newsletter, we explore how helicopters have changed the search for life on Mars, examine the alarming rise of monkeypox, meet the 3,500-year-old man, get a peek inside Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks … and discover that spiders can dream.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

How can humans better search for life on Mars? By expanding the fleet of Martian aircraft. The dazzling deployment of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter last year paved the way for a new pair of special choppers to find—and help retrieve—Martian samples. “Ingenuity has far exceeded anyone’s wildest imaginations,” NASA’s Teddy Tzanetow says. (It’s pictured above, in this “selfie” from the Perseverance rover.)

Nat Geo’s Nadia Drake says NASA’s excitement has been fueled by recent discoveries on Mars. Even though prospects of current life may be dim, scientists think it’s possible that extinct life left traces in the rock—and the durability of Ingenuity has stoked NASA’s hopes.

Read the full story here.

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A microscopic view of a lesion

PHOTOGRAPH BY CDC

Why has monkeypox grown at such an alarming rate? (Pictured above, infected skin tissue harvested from a lesion on a monkey.)

Surprises from a 3,500-year-old man

The world’s biggest bet on energy that could ease climate change

Humans are unprepared for a fungal pandemic

An insightful peek inside Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks

Overheard: The partition that changed the world. Related: Its long shadow, even 75 years later. Map: How India was split

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DANIELA C. RÖSSLER

Do spiders dream? Yes, scientists say, at least the jumping spider (E. arcuata) does. Ecologist Daniela Rößler, first spotting the napping spiders near her home, told Nat Geo she was struck by the way they switched while sleeping—like dogs or cats. (In the image above, see the spider curling its legs during an REM sleep-like state.)

WHAT DO THEY DREAM?

SMARTER PLANET

PHOTOGRAPH BY ADEL NEWMAN, ALAMY

Are beachfront resorts making it worse? The world’s 7,000 beachfront resorts operate on the front lines of rising seas, coastal erosion, and destructive storms. Some make it worse. The high shoreline towers block the flow of sand, for example. Author Sarah Stodola recommends tourists stay farther back from the beach, travel to shorelines closer to home, and frequent places turning to low-impact building methods and sustainable practices, such as Malaysia’s Tioman Island (pictured above).

Related: Why you should keep a travel journal

BEAUTIFUL BEACHES

IN A FEW WORDS

QUOTE

People talk about children as the next generation of conservationists. I like to call them a ‘new’ generation because children can be conservationists today.

Conservation biologist, Nat Geo Explorer

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY @NICHOLESOBECKI

The case for trees: See this tree in the Luki Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? It’s over 800 years old. As its seed first took root, Genghis Khan was invading China and King John was signing the Magna Carta. The world’s second largest rainforest, the Congo Basin could unlock vital solutions for climate adaptation—or with its leaders’ decision to open it up for large-scale logging, become a ticking carbon time bomb if its resources are mismanaged. Nat Geo Explorer Nichole Sobecki took this image for our coverage of the vital topic.

Related: 4 ways to fix our dwindling forests and fight climate change

WHAT’S AT STAKE

We hope you liked today’s newsletter. This was edited and curated by Heather Kim, David Beard, Jen Tse, Allie Yang, and Anne Kim-Dannibale. Have an idea or a link for us? Write [email protected]. Miss yesterday's ”Griffin Warrior“ newsletter? It’s right here. Have a good week ahead!

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