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A TONGUE ‘TOOK’
OUR LATEST COVER

Saturday, January 7, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we skydive to learn the secrets of longevity, gird for the most contagious COVID variant, swim with Bob the Flamingo, hear that cannabis is overrated to help pain … and see 48 stunning colors of the moon.

An older man mid skydive

JASPER DOEST (WITH AARON MOLLOY)

How do you show the vitality of an older person for a magazine cover on longevity?

For photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Jasper Doest, it meant rigging a tongue-activated camera—and hanging with 69-year-old skydiving instructor Arnold Camfferman, whose mid-air portrait is on January’s National Geographic magazine cover.

Doest, whose father had been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, told us that Camfferman pushed one notion that he was taking to heart: “Never ever stop playing.”

See the full story here.

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A picture of a crying newborn baby

PHOTOGRAPH BY MELANIE WENGER

Living longer: Seconds after his birth, Tommaso Citti has his vital signs checked in Aosta, Italy. Children born today in prosperous countries are very likely to live into their 90s. As the world grows significantly older, research into slowing or reversing aging becomes more and more important.

A picture of a person holding a monkey by its neck and tail

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICHOLE SOBECKI

What can baboons show us? To understand aging, researchers look for clues in animals. Scientists for a 51-year-old baboon research project in Kenya have found that baboons with strong social connections in adulthood can recover from harmful health effects of a stressful childhood. Above, Benard Oyath and Jackson Warutere prepare to take blood and other samples from Olduvai, who was then released back to the wild.

A picture of a man surrounded by paintings

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID GUTTENFELDER

Van Gogh to it: Doctors suggested art to slow Don Lueck’s dementia. He has made more than 17,000 paintings since 2019. The hobby helped the gregarious 77-year-old endure pandemic isolation at home in Wisconsin. “Painting every day during this time saved our lives, because his brain was actively engaged in a creative process he loves,” says his wife, Jenny Villwock. “He often includes faces or creatures in his painting—someone with whom he could socialize.”

A picture of a man submerged in ice water

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASPER DOEST

Taking the plunge: Several times a week, Ries Nieuwkoop takes an ice bath in his backyard in Zwolle, Netherlands. The health benefits of cold therapy have not been extensively studied in humans, but advocates say it soothes aches, sharpens their thinking, and even helps with weight loss. Nieuwkoop, 79, claims the cold water increases the flexibility of his nervous system and helps his blood circulate. “The ice bath,” he tells us, “makes me feel very relaxed.” Read more.

STORIES WE'RE FOLLOWING

Why are we suddenly getting ‘thundersnow’?

Is pain relief from cannabis all in our heads? Clinical studies can’t prove it helps.

Get ready for the most contagious COVID variant yet

WWII soldiers accidentally found majestic tomb, hidden kingdom

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

There’s something about Bob the Flamingo

Could synthetic palm oil save our forests?

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

What sugar and fat do to our brains

The Renaissance roots of Italy’s neighborhood ‘football’

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A picture of a grey chicken

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX TEN NAPEL

One shy chicken: Chickens are more than just egg-producing livestock, says photographer Alex ten Napel. Since 2014, ten Napel, known for his portaits of humans, has been creating striking portraits of the barnyard bird across the Netherlands. Ten Napel captures perfect plumage and patterns—and favors fowls with personality, like the Polish hen (above) turning her head from the camera. “They can be like gymnasts or ballerinas,” he says.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A gif of a man swimming with a large camera underwater

VIDEO BY @DANBEECHAM

Getting the shot: The key to filming underwater is good diving skills. Equally as important? Making sure your camera is a good swimmer too, according to Nat Geo Explorer Bertie Gregory. To fine tune the buoyancy of his camera, he uses little weights on the bottom and non-compressible foam on the top so it stays upright underwater. The rig also floats ever so slightly, so the camera would rise to the surface if he ever dropped it. See Gregory (above) and his camerawork in his new show on Disney+.

Related: Historic milestones in underwater photography

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

LAST GLIMPSE

A composite photo of the moon

COMPOSITE OF 48 IMAGES BY MARCELLA GIULIA PACE

A purple moon? On the surface, the moon is a dull, off-white brown-gray. But when light reflected from the satellite travels through the Earth’s layered atmosphere, it bends and scatters into a dazzling array of colors. In the past decade, photographer Marcella Giulia Pace has captured the variations for a rainbow composite, above, of 48 lunar shades.

Today’s soundtrack: Harvest Moon, Poolside

This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, Jen Tse, and Sydney Combs. Amanda Williams-Bryant, Alec Egamov, Rita Spinks, and Jeremy Brandt-Vorel also contributed this week. Have an idea? We’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

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