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THE FROZEN
WORLD BELOW

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

In today’s newsletter, see the wondrous ice caves of the Alps, meet the beloved macaws of Caracas, get ready for the return of cheetahs to India … and explore how China’s Forbidden City came to be. Plus, the 3,500-year-old man.

Two people in a cave stand near pillars of ice

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBBIE SHONE

Take a look at the image above. No one knows exactly how many of these wondrous ice caves there are, but they undoubtedly are more numerous in the Alps than anywhere else. About 1,200, including the one above, have been found in Austria alone.

“These ice caves are preserving the memory of past climate,” says paleoclimatologist Aurel Persoiu. Nonetheless, climate is irrevocably changing these stunning caves.

See them now—and read the full story.

Please consider getting our full digital report and magazine by subscribing here.

A crowd stands around a large pillar of ice in a cave

The biggest: From an alcove called the Castle (above), a guide tells tales of the first explorers of Eisriesenwelt (“world of the ice giants”), the largest ice cave on Earth. One explorer, Alexander von Mörk, was so spellbound he wanted his ashes buried in this Austrian cave. They were. The images above are from Nat Geo Explorer Robbie Shone. Read on here and learn how to get there.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A group of macaws sit on a roof

VIDEO BY ALEJANDRO CEGARRA

In this troubled capital, the macaws thrive (pictured above on a rooftop)

The surprising roots of China’s Forbidden City

The accidental discovery of a 3,500-year-old man

Exercising, changing diet can ‘switch off’ genes susceptible to cancer

Five brainy tricks to make your kids math geniuses

Think twice before using that artificial sweetener

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Three people sedate a cheetah near a chain-link fence

PHOTOGRAPH BY RONNY SEN

Hello, cheetahs: India is planning to reintroduce the speedy animal (photographed above in a South African game reserve) to the nation, but some scientists worry that they won't survive for long as environmental conditions have only worsened since the cats were last seen in 1947. “So the first question is, ‘Why is this attempt even being made?’” asks Arjun Gopalaswamy, a conservation scientist, in our latest report.

THE CONTROVERSIAL PLAN

THE NIGHT SKIES

An illustrated bull in the night sky surrounded by celestial objects.

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

The ice giant: Tonight, glimpse the distant planet Uranus, thanks to a close encounter with the moon. You can track the ice giant with binoculars, despite the lunar glare. Start scanning just west of the moon—and don’t wander off too much because the two worlds will appear separated by less than one degree—equal to two full moon disks. Around midnight on Friday, gaze eastward to see Mars next to the quarter moon. To the right of Mars, catch the red giant star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus. — Andrew Fazekas

MISSION TO URANUS

IN A FEW WORDS

QUOTE

Geography affects almost everything. Take Ukraine. To understand why it’s important you need to know it’s a buffer ... It’s one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and supplies 40 percent of the world’s sunflower oil. … We must learn geography if we are to become better stewards of the world we live in, and if we are to ensure our quality of life—perhaps even our survival.

Gilbert M. Grosvenor

Former National Geographic Society chairman

From: New memoir tells story of Nat Geo’s founding family

Related: The crucial decision that made Nat Geo re-think its mission

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A man stands below a giant metal cone in the fog

PHOTOGRAPH BY @RICHARDBARNES

Listening to the universe: Imagine a 50-foot-long antenna pointed toward the sky. If you tuned in, what would you hear? When radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson used the Holmdel Horn Antenna (pictured above) in 1965, they stumbled upon the biggest astronomical discovery in decades. They heard a hum. It was the sound of cosmic background radiation leftover from the Big Bang—proving the theory was true.

A STRANGER'S KINDNESS LED TO THE BIG BANG DISCOVERY

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Sydney Combs, Jen Tse, David Beard, Allie Yang, and Heather Kim. Have an idea? Let us know! And thanks for reading.

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