Your Weekly Escape: The tangled tale of a lost continent

Plus: The final days of Pompeii; why dogs are friendly; China's terra-cotta emperor.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

WHY ARE DOGS SO FRIENDLY? VIEW ONLINE

WHY ARE DOGS SO FRIENDLY?

Your Weekly Escape

This week: The saga of a lost continent; fresh insights into Pompeii's final days; why dogs are friendly; the reign of China's terra-cotta emperor; the disputed origins of Memorial Day; and more.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GUIDO PARADISI, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO Scientists pieced together a 240-million-year-old puzzle—and found a lost continent A highly detailed re-creation of the past 240 million years of the Mediterranean's tectonic history revealed the saga of Greater Adria—a Greenland-sized landmass that was demolished millions of years ago. But not all was lost: Relics of this ancient continent live on in the heel of Italy's boot. WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?

CESARE ABBATE/EPA/EFE ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE‌ ‌ ‌  How a small piece of graffiti ignited fresh debate over Pompeii's destruction Just before Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, a local worker scrawled an inscription on a wall. Along with a joke (roughly translated as "he ate too much"), he wrote the date: October 17. It's just one of several remarkable discoveries unearthed not as part of a dig, but in the course of emergency maintenance of the site. NEW CLUES UNEARTHED

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK Why are dogs so friendly? Science finally has an answer. Studies have shown that dogs are more sociable than wolves raised in similar circumstances, generally paying more attention to humans and following our directions and commands more effectively. But why? IS IT GENETIC?

PHOTOGRAPH BY KENNY HURTADO ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE‌ ‌ ‌  Searching for California's mysterious albino redwood "A few feet away, the astonishingly white tree hovers like an otherworldly apparition, its crown high above our heads. It's an albino redwood. An enigma. A biological improbability—an organism that shouldn't exist." A GENETIC MARVEL

PHOTOGRAPH BY UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, UIG/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES Who was the Chinese emperor behind the terra-cotta warriors? Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin Emperor, was a brutal ruler who unified ancient China and laid the foundation for the Great Wall. He was also the target of several assassination attempts—which might explain his obsession with immortality. THE STORY OF HIS REIGN

As it dove into the hellish depths of the mantle, the top layer of the continent was scraped away, as if a titan were peeling a colossal apple. Robin George Andrews, writer FROM: Scientists pieced together a 240-million-year-old puzzle—and found a lost continent

PHOTOGRAPH BY USMHI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION The controversial history of Memorial Day For many Americans, Memorial Day signifies the start of the summer season, as well as a much-needed long weekend filled with activities like sporting events and barbecues. But that wasn't the original purpose of the day—and its evolution over the years has been rife with controversy. DISPUTED ORIGINS

PHOTOGRAPH BY NAFTALI HILGER, LAIF/REDUX You have to go underground to see these 9 European marvels People have inhabited Europe for thousands of years, building new empires atop old ones. That’s precisely why the continent is such a fascinating place for underground exploration—from Rome's bone-covered catacombs to Istanbul's sunken palace. SEE THE LIST

Other Great Reads Do you have a lost twin? (BBC)  ›› Letters from the loneliest post office in the world (Atlas Obscura)  ››

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