How to Measure the Bug Population (Without Even Trying)
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
1d ago
For the past few decades, humankind has taken it upon ourselves to better protect the world around us. Whether those efforts are adequate or successful is a topic for a different newsletter, but one thing is for sure: we’ve gotten better at counting. Conservationists regularly keep tabs on the number of endangered species — a rather easy thing to do, given how few there are of those creatures — but researchers don’t stop there. We have methods for estimating the number of common animals, like deer in the United States, or even the number of trees in a given forest. And in some extreme and weir ..read more
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Superman Versus the Klan
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
3d ago
In 1940, just a few years after his comic book debut, Superman took to the airwaves. For more than a decade, The Adventures of Superman played on radios throughout the United States, bringing the beloved Man of Steel to homes near and far. Despite being works of fiction, his storylines also mirrored things that were occurring in the real world at the time. For example, as American involvement in World War II increased, Superman regularly fought against fascism, spreading truth, justice, and the American Way from sea to shining sea. But once the Allies had triumphed against the Nazi regime, Sup ..read more
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Feel-Good Stories are Hard to Find
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
6d ago
Hi! Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to find more uplifting, positive stories to share — no rhyme or reason why, I just was in that kind of mood. And I’ve been somewhat successful, I think. Last Tuesday’s story was about an 80-something-year-old who valued education so much that he enrolled in kindergarten. This Monday’s story was about two disabled men who teamed up to plant a whole forest. And yesterday, while not quite at that level from an uplifting perspective, was a fun story about a helpful mouse. I wasn’t 100% on target this week — Wednesday’s re-run turns what is often believ ..read more
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Good Mousekeeping
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
6d ago
We’ve all been in this situation: you work hard doing whatever you do, and when it’s time to call it a day, there’s a mess you need to address. But you’re done — the mess can wait until tomorrow. And then, when you go back to your workstation the next day, as if by magic, almost everything is put away.  Wait, that last part has never happened to you? Maybe, you need to rethink your pest control. Rodney Holbrook, as of early 2024, was a 75-year-old retired postal worker who lived in Wales with his wife. Holbrook spent a lot of his time in his backyard shed, fixing what needed fixing and bu ..read more
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The Blind Man and the Armless Man Who Planted 10,000 Trees
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
1w ago
In the northeastern part of China, you’ll find a rural village called Yeli. (Here’s a map.) The Ye River — a relatively small waterway — runs near the village, and if you went to one of the local riverbanks two decades ago, you would have come across a barren wasteland, one prone to floods that would often cause damage to the neighboring village. Today, that same riverbank is home to thousands of trees and visiting wildlife. It’s an ecological miracle, one with a unique explanation: A blind man and a man with no arms needed a way to make a living. In 2000, Jia Haixia, pictured above right, lo ..read more
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Introducing Now I Know T-Shirts, Mugs, and Other Swag!
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
1w ago
Hi! Now I Know celebrates its 14th anniversary this year, and the email newsletter world has grown up a lot over the last decade and nearly-a-half. And for the most part, I’ve been failing to grow with it. I’ve been spending a lot of time in 2024 catching up, and today, I’m introducing a new feature that would have been incredibly difficult to set up even five years ago: the Now I Know Swag Shop. There’s not much there yet — two types of mugs, a hoodie, a t-shirt, a trucker-style baseball cap, and a coaster. I’ll add more things soon; I need to get some higher-resolution graphics made first ..read more
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The World’s Oldest Kindergartener
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
2w ago
For most of the 1950s, the area now known as Kenya was at war. The region was a British colony from the late 1800s until 1963, and toward the end of that period, many indigenous people took up arms in an effort to kick the British out. The most notable uprising was the Mau Mau Rebellion from 1952 to 1960, which resulted in a British victory and the deaths of tens of thousands of Kenyans; at least 12,000 rebels (and likely many, many more) lost their lives, as did around 3,000 Kenyans who served as peacekeepers on behalf of the British. Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge was one of the men who went to war ..read more
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The Endless “Africa” in Africa
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
2w ago
The Namib Desert is a roughly 160,000 km2 (62,000 square miles) expanse running down the western coast of middle and southern Africa. (Here’s a map.) It’s roughly the size (albeit not the shape) of the U.S. state of Georgia, but if you were to visit, you’re not likely to stumble into anything — it’s almost uninhabited by humans and, for that matter, by any animals more sizable than a large bug; while you may find a few elephants, lions, or antelopes there, even they are few and far between. But if you go visit there, and you’re very lucky, you may discover an audio reminder of where you are. B ..read more
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I Asked an AI to Write This Newsletter
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
2w ago
Hi! I’ve been tinkering lately with Microsoft Copilot, a generative AI tool. It’s pretty good if you’re looking for a starting point other than a blank page, but definitely has its limitations. Over the last few weeks, I challenged myself: could I come up with a prompt that would give me a publishable newsletter? The answer is “almost!” and I’m sharing the results with you today. I started with ChatGPT, not Copilot. (Here’s the difference between the two AI platforms.) I asked it to “Write a story in the style of the Now I Know newsletter about the Philadelphia Poison Ring” — that’s the story ..read more
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Why Peter Pan Needed a Dusting
Now I Know
by Dan Lewis
3w ago
Peter Pan is an iconic children’s character — the boy who never grew up. You’re probably familiar with him. He lives on the mythical island of Neverland, fights pirates, hangs out with Tinkerbell and other fairies, and, most importantly for our purposes today, can fly. He can even teach you to fly, too — there’s even a song about it. All you need to do is think of merry little thoughts, be sprinkled with a touch of fairy dust, and off you go into the wild blue yonder. Oh, wait, you’re all out of fairy dust? No flying for you, sorry to say. But that’s actually the point. Peter Pan is the creat ..read more
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