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A MAN OF BIG DECISIONS COULDN'T MAKE THE BIGGEST ONE

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we witness the amazing gathering of 1,000 whales, gaze at the face of a 1,300-year-old man, examine a powerful pharaoh’s biggest weakness, explore the beauty (and challenges) of Lebanon, find out how living near a railroad can harm your health ... and discover the extraordinary life expectancy of bats.

A picture of a statue of a pharaoh

DEA/SCALA, FLORENCE

Palaces, temples, statues—Egypt’s long-ruling Ramses II’s many accomplishments show an empire-builder at work. The pharaoh’s 70-year reign reveals another, less-flattering legacy—he didn’t know when to quit.

Ramses’s succession plans—muddled, changable, botched—ended up unraveling one of Egypt’s biggest dynasties. What was his problem? Too hard to choose among 100 kids?

Read the full story here.

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A diptych of photographs of carvings of Ramses the Great's sons

LEFT: DEA/ALBUM; RIGHT: SCALA, FLORENCE

A big head: At top, the head of Ramses II’s recumbent colossus at Memphis. Above left: An ushabti, or funerary figurine, is inscribed with the name of Khaemwaset, Ramses II’s favorite son. At right, Merneptah, who eventually succeeded Ramses, is depicted on a relief in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Read on.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A photo of a whale in the ocean

PHOTOGRAPH BY JORDI CHIAS, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

Biggest sighting of whales ever recorded (above, a humpback whale)

See the face of a 1,300-year-old man

The ‘good’ fat that helps with energy, longevity

How living near a railroad can harm your health

The ‘Rainbow Bridge’ poem has comforted grieving pet owners worldwide. Who wrote it? We found her.

Must we change from gas stoves? Here’s what the science says.

Delaying pregnancy? What science says about freezing your eggs.

The significance of the cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday

What it’s like to kayak the most dangerous Great Lake

The real history of Area 51

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Women taking photographs at the ruins of an old Crusader fort on the coast of Lebanon

PHOTOGRAPH BY RENA EFFENDI

To love Lebanon: Growing up, writer Rania Abouzeid largely knew about Lebanon through her parents’ “rose-colored” recollections of their home country—from a time before the devastating civil war. As an adult, Abouzeid moved to Lebanon and despite endemic problems and dysfunction, fell in love with the country. “It was hard not to," despite endemic problems and dysfunction, she writes. (Above, Nat Geo Explorer Rena Effendi photographs a group of women exploring a 800-year-old coastal fort known as the Sea Castle.)

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A picture of a bat held by a rescuer

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICHOLE SOBECKI

Viva bats! Generally speaking, smaller animals have shorter life spans than larger ones, but bats break the rule. Eighteen of the 19 mammals that live proportionally longer than humans based on body size are bats. (The naked mole rat is the other.) “This spectacularly colored yellow-winged bat, with soft gray fur and long, translucent ears, reminds me of how diverse these flying mammals are,” says Nat Geo Explorer Nichole Sobecki. Read our article on the science of longevity, and how to live longer and better.

THE NIGHT SKIES

The planets align

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

Close Encounters: Starting tonight, the brightest worlds visible in our skies will be putting on a week-long, eye-catching show. Look toward the west after sunset for brilliant Venus and Jupiter, joined by the Moon. The waxing crescent moon appears razor thin and is forming a beautiful close pairing with the largest planet in the solar system. Meanwhile Venus, which is even brighter than Jupiter, shines below the celestial duo. — Andrew Fazekas

MISSION TO VENUS

Today’s soundtrack: Agolo, Angelique Kidjo (h/t to Carla Wills and this playlist from our Overheard podcast team)

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Sydney Combs, and David Beard. Have an idea or a link? We'd love to hear from you at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

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