Did the Apostles of Jesus really exist? Plus, the photo that reveals early U.S. efforts to topple Moscow’s communists

And how to tap into your happy hormones—without medication  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

WILDFIRES IN MAUI VIEW ONLINE

WILDFIRES IN MAUI

THESE 12 MEN SHAPED CHRISTIANITY. BUT THERE’S A CAVEAT.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn what historians have discovered about the Apostles, surface a photo that reveals American soldiers fought on Russian soil ... and follow a bizarre trail of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LEBRECHT MUSIC AND ARTS PHOTO LIBRARY, ALAMY They are a faith’s most important eyewitnesses. There was most likely a Peter and a John, definitely a James (the brother of Jesus), and probably a Thomas. Beyond that? It gets mighty cloudy, no matter what the New Testament states, writer Tom Bissell says. And James, the Bible says, wasn’t even one of the 12 first followers, or disciples, of Jesus. Why should we believe Bissell, even if he went to Kyrgyzstan on a search for Matthew’s remains? And what about Judas Iscariot, who Bissell calls an “electromagnet of wickedness?” HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

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PHOTOGRAPH BY HERITAGE IMAGE PARTNERSHIP LTD, ALAMY Big brother: The existence of James, Jesus’ elder brother (shown above in a painting by El Greco), is supported by historical evidence. At top, an image of Jesus and his apostles, based of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” Read more. Dive deeper: What archaeology is telling us about the real Jesus Does belief have the power to heal? Even science says it might.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The deadly fire: What was lost in Lahaina, a Maui tourist center and onetime glittering jewel of the Hawaiian Kingdom (An aerial image taken Thursday of the destruction.) Submerged ancient altar reveals remote Roman outpost of Arab desert merchants What really caused the collapse of the Mayan civilization? Many women struggle to breastfeed. Scientists are starting to ask why.

NASA spacecraft that smashed into asteroid created unintended swarm of boulders It looked like a bizarre alignment of meteors. It was something else. How you should dispose of unused or expired medications Would the world really face chaos if the Atlantic's ocean currents slowed down? Why a placebo can work—even when you know it's fake

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY Lesser-known American history: Above is picture proof that U.S. troops ended up embroiled in the Russian Civil War at the end of WWI—something both Presidents Nixon and Reagan incorrectly declared never happened. The 1919 photo shows Private Alfred Schuck looking across a snowy expanse at a Russian church used by forces of the Communists, who won—and remained America’s adversary for much of the last century. THE HISTORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY RONAN DONOVAN Predators of the tundra: Wolves are often compared to dogs, but according to Nat Geo, that’s only to put “us at ease in the presence of a creature that for ages has been mythologized as a heedless killer.” (Above, arctic wolves pick at the remains of a muskox.) For International Wolf Day tomorrow, we enter into the territory of the wolves of the far north. It gets a little dicey. HOOOOOWWWWWLL

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY

PHOTOGRAPH BY KENT KOBERSTEEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION Feelin’ good, like I should: From serotonin to dopamine to endorphins, what if we told you can tap into your happy hormones on demand? It’s called “hormone hacking,” and based on lifestyle, exercise, and dietary choices, you can trigger a natural happy high. (Above, a woman jumps above the Grand Canyon—safely—at Mather Point.) HERE’S HOW TO HACK HAPPINESS

Today’s soundtrack: Howlin' For You, The Black Keys This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and Jen Tse. Amanda Williams-Bryant, Alisher Egamov, Rita Spinks, and Jeremy Brandt-Vorel also contributed this week. Thanks for reading!

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