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HOW DID THESE CITIES
BECOME ‘LOST’?

Friday, January 6, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore cities that vanished without a trace, discover how WWII soldiers accidentally found a 2,400-year-old tomb, look at a more infectious COVID variant, learn why animals practice cannibalism … and check in with Bob the Flamingo.

A picture of a carved stone statue

PHOTOGRAPH BY DEA, A. DAGLI ORTI/DE AGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES

At one time, this civilization rivaled Egypt and Mesopotamia. Then it vanished.

Halfway around the world, a city of gold arose on an Andean lake in west-central Colombia. Explorers failed to find it.

To the north, a baby named Virginia Dare was born in the first English foothold in the Americas. Then that community, too, disappeared.

Little by little, however, their elusive stories are emerging.

Read the full story.

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A picture of ruins along a coast

PHOTO BY MARIA MAAR, WESTEND61 GMBH/ALAMY

Evidence: At top, a bust of the Priest King found at one of the two principal cities of the once-vast Indus Valley civilization. Above, legend holds that the Greek city of Helike sank under the waters of the Gulf of Corinth. According to classical historians, in 373 B.C. snakes and mice fled for higher ground before a quake pummeled Helike, the waters washed over it—and all residents were killed. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A picture of a round fresco

AGE FOTOSTOCK

Soldiers stumbled upon a 2,400-year-old tomb on the battlefields of WWII (the painted ceiling of the burial chamber, above)

What’s with the newest COVID variant? Should we be worried?

Meet Bob, the rescued flamingo-turned-conservation star

Have 5 minutes? Brief bursts of exercise can extend your life

Poached for its horn, this rare bird struggles to survive

How the body accumulates ‘zombie’ cells as we age. They never die.

These ancient grapes may be the future of wine

Forget everything you know about pigeons

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A picture of a woman floating in a pool with flowers

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUISA DÖRR

Skate on: When members of an all-women skateboarding group went to the market in Cochabamba, Bolivia, shopkeepers were confused. The skaters were buying traditional skirts worn by older, Indigenous women and often associated with poverty. The rebellious group formed before it was common to see women skating. Now they wear traditional clothing during competitions to celebrate their heritage. (Above, Elinor Buitrago Méndez, 25, floats while wearing Indigenous dress.)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A picture of A shark biting a long tube

PHOTOGRAPH BY GIBBS KUGURU

Sharks vs. med school: Nat Geo Explorer Gibbs Kuguru needed to decide: stay on course for med school or find a new path—one he wouldn’t dread. His mentor sent him an advertisement for dives with great white sharks. Kuguru was instantly, irrevocably hooked. “I chose to don the wetsuit and get in the water,” he tells our Overheard podcast, “’cause for me, the fear of losing a life well lived was far scarier than losing life itself.” (Above, Kuguru’s experiment documenting how sharks can change colors to sneak up on prey.)

SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS

LAST GLIMPSE

A picture of a group of tadpoles eating a dead tadpole

PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGETTE DOUWMA, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

Surprisingly common: Ecologists used to think that cannibalism happened when something was very, very wrong. But now it’s been observed in every major animal group and seen as an adaptive strategy, biologist Bill Schutt tells Nat Geo—especially when resources are scarce. Common frog tadpoles (pictured above) will cannibalize others if the environment is overcrowded. Even before birth, in utero sharks will chow down on siblings until only two remain.

Today’s soundtrack: A Message to You Rudy — The Specials (R.I.P. Terry Hall)

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Sydney Combs, and David Beard. Have feedback? Email [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

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