Who's a barbarian? New research is surprising. Plus, U.S infrastructure worries, freediving in Taiwan

Inside: Can you guess the name of this caterpillar? And, the best time to sleep, medical benefits of snake venom  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

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WHO ARE YOU CALLING BARBARIAN? Tuesday, July 18, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we visit a 2,000-year-old bloody 'barbarian' battlefield, frolic with polar bears in fields of flowers, question the safety of U.S. infrastructure ... and get to bed early tonight.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY PNAS Wild and savage? Unorganized? Motivated by spasms of violence? Archaeologists uncovering a 2,000-year-old battle site are being forced to reconsider some definitions of barbarian. They’ve found much larger sizes of armies that would require enhanced organization and discipline. They’ve seen signs of ritual burial and attempts to build a “collective memory” of the battle scene. But, they caution, don’t get the wrong impression. THEY WERE BLOODY AS HELL

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PHOTOGRAPH BY DEA, A. DAGLI ORTI The violent nature: Above, a Roman sarcophagus depicts a battle between Imperial troops and “barbarian” warriors. Top, hip bone fragments from four different victims. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY KENNEDI CARTER

The rise of Black equestrians (Pictured, youth champion MaLana Lewis in 2020 with her horse, Star) What is the best time to sleep—and why do we need so much? Shark meat is a global phenomenon—but not everyone knows they’re eating it How to stop dam collapses, derailments, and water contamination in the U.S? Scientists are unlocking the medical potential of snake venom

These mermaids may help Taiwan transcend its fear of the sea Breathtaking natural wonders—that no longer exist 3,600-year-old tsunami ‘time capsule’ sheds light on one of humanity’s greatest disasters

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY DONALD W. HALL, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA A toxic toupee: The most venomous caterpillar (pictured above) looks fuzzy to the touch—but causes excruciating pain if you come into contact with it. Do you know what it’s called? A. Hairy blob B. Shaggy rug C. Furry puss CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN GREGUS, JR. The bears of summer: What do polar bears do when the ice melts the winter snow away? For starters: Take a midday nap in a field of fireweed (pictured above). SEE MORE

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY AUKE FLORIAN HIEMSTRA The best nest: Some crows and magpies have their own security systems for their nests. They deter invaders with anything from thorny branches to manmade spikes (above). WHEN NATURE FIGHTS BACK

Today’s soundtrack: Birdhouse in Your Soul, They Might Be Giants Thanks for reading our newsletter! It was edited and curated by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. We'd love to hear from you: david.beard@natgeo.com. Keep shining!

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