Should the Bermuda Triangle frighten us?; An overdose drug could help long COVID

Disaster-laden mystery, or rubbish? Plus, happiest places in the world; replicating human touch  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

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STRANGE? SCARY? A MYTH? Wednesday, May 17, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, learn an opioid fighter also might crush long COVID, enter a town run by women ... and find the happiest places in the world.

COURTESY NATIONAL ARCHIVES Yes, five U.S. military planes on a routine mission did disappear in a patch of the Atlantic nearly eight decades ago. No, UFOs were not involved. And no, the legendary Bermuda Triangle didn’t suck them down. The seas carry many mysteries, but the idea of a mysterious triangle spurring tragedy may not be one of them. HERE’S THE REAL STORY

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GIANCARLO COSTA/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES A cursed triangle? A 1650 map of the Caribbean shows the Bermuda Triangle bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. At top, this squadron used the same type of aircraft that went down in the Bermuda Triangle in 1945. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEY SANTORE

Chicago’s massive snapping turtle, is internet-famous. But Chonkosaurus (above) is part of a bigger tale. While Rome was falling, these powers were on the rise Lyme disease is spreading fast—but a vaccine may be on the way

Taking collagen supplements is unlikely to improve your health. Here’s why Does a life-saving opioid treatment help on long COVID, too? Here’s what we know Where do people live the longest? What do they have in common? What can we learn?

Did early humans interbreed with a ‘ghost’ population? Who invented the marathon? It’s not as ancient as you think Photosynthesis is still a mystery—but science is revealing unknown steps

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUISA DÖRR Who runs the world (girls): A village in Brazil is known to be “dominated by women,” where they “regularly send their men into exile.” How much of these claims are true? (Above, residents harvest crops.) RUN BY ’AMAZONS’?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN Our sense of touch: Physical touch—human’s most primal connection to one another—is being replicated by scientists. The biggest benefit: Those who’ve lost limbs and nerve endings can, finally, feel again. (Above, a prosthetic hands hold an e-dermis patch, which helps turn contact with another surface into a sensation the brain interprets as touch.) READ MORE

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT HARDING, AURORA Happiness: When experts talk about the happiest places in the world, this usually placid country often comes to mind. Where are we? (Hint: This volcano, above, towers above fertile lowlands.) A. Thailand B. Finland C. Denmark D. Costa Rica FIND THE ANSWER HERE

We asked, you answered: Thanks to readers who responded to our newsletter Monday, about a late-blooming Japanese shogun, with your favorite late-bloomers. David Ritchie from Portland State University suggested Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Buckminster Fuller, and Ulysses S. Grant. We’ll add Yayoi Kusama, the artist whose popularity keeps growing in her 90s. Today’s soundtrack: Babatchai, Serge Beynaud This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, and David Beard. Want to say hello? We'd love to hear from you: david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading!

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