This week, we learned …
… the serious nature of child’s play.

… there might be a Viking treasure ship in the California desert.

Illustration by Tom Lovell, National Geographic
How could the Vikings have made it to the Pacific?
… you can buy ink made of car exhaust.
You can also buy diamonds made of car exhaust.
… why the military is investing in paper airplanes, and how Lady Gaga’s drones worked.
How do geographers use drones?
… the Arctic is shrinking, but isn’t doomed yet

… parents are investing record amounts of time and money in their kids … but it may not be worth it.

Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic
How can families foster empowered kids?
… how Pacific Islanders are living with climate change, why they’ve banned junk food, and whether Moana was culturally relevant.
How did geography inform the cultures of the South Pacific?
… how many calories it takes to walk to Mordor.
One does not simply walk into Mordor. One is guided there by Nat Geo, of course.
… there are still some blank spaces on the map, and Indonesia will let you name some of them.

Map of the Hunt-Lenox Globe by B.F. De Costa. Public domain
Learn how to read maps like a pro.
… slow-release fertilizer boosts crop yields and reduces environmental damage.

Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic
… how to celebrate Periodic Table Day with six different periodic tables.

Illustration by Andy Brunning/Compound Interest 2017 CC-BY-ND-NC-4.0