“Forty years after breaking away from Antarctica, the frozen colossus known as A23a died as it lived: drifting around the bottom of the globe, fascinating ardent observers, and offering scientists critical new insights about our living ocean.”
national geographic
Secrets of the Bees: Revealing the Sneaky Genius of Nature’s Brightest Thinkers
“New science is showing that nature’s vital pollinators are smarter than we ever imagined.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we feature stories from Gordy Megroz, Max Blau and Zaydee Sanchez, Brendan I. Koerner, Lora Eli Smith, and Pat Cassels.
Have We Been Measuring Mountains All Wrong?
“A new method for quantifying grandeur is reshuffling the pecking order of the planet’s most impressive peaks. Turns out Everest has steep competition.”
Can this Sherpa Change Mountain Climbing Forever?
“Last year, at age 18, Nima Rinji Sherpa became the youngest climber to summit the world’s 14 tallest peaks. His next challenge is even trickier.”
She Had a Severe Brain Injury—So Her Husband Turned to an Unprecedented Therapy
“He lost his wife to a state of unresponsiveness following a tragic accident. Over the past two years, he’s tried everything to bring her back—including an experimental first in the use of psychedelics.”
Where Are All The Caribou?
“For millennia Indigenous communities have relied on the far north’s caribou herds for sustenance. But as the herds dwindle, the future becomes difficult to predict.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories from Keri Blakinger, Zhengyang Wang, Marian Bull, Mark Synnott, and Clover Hope.
Seeking to Solve the Arctic’s Biggest Mystery, They Ended Up Trapped in Ice at the Top of the World
“In 1847, Sir John Franklin and a crew of 128 men disappeared while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage. A National Geographic team sought to find evidence of their fate—but the Arctic doesn’t give up its secrets easily.”
Working on the Edge: A Reading List About Extreme Jobs
A livelihood is not a life—yet many risk the latter in order to create the former.
