Grappling With Ghosts

In this week’s newsletter we travel along the haunting ‘Road to Nowhere’, debunk a Babe Ruth legend, and discover the mystery of what sparked this bizarre spinning fish phenomenon.

The tragic backstory of one of the most haunted roads in America

Appalachia is filled with wondrous places—some that can give you the jitters. Generations of people have grappled with ghostly tales along the legendarily haunted "Road to Nowhere" and its dead-end tunnel in North Carolina (pictured above).??

You see, the road has a tragic backstory.

Did Babe Ruth really ‘call’ a legendary homer?

The story: He pointed his bat to a spot beyond the centerfield wall, and then the king of home runs sent the next pitch right there. True? A recent buyer spent $24 million on the jersey Ruth wore in the World Series game where it was said to happen.

We finally know what caused Florida fish to spin in circles until they died

In November 2023, Florida Keys residents began observing fish and rays—including the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish—whirling in circles, usually until they died. This prompted a collaborative investigation to figure out the culprit before it could set back decades of conservation efforts for the sawfish.

After tireless months of data collection and testing, scientists have likely pinpointed the cause of the spinning and dying fish in Florida.

The 8 best bluetooth speakers to bring on your travels

If you’ve got room in your suitcase, speakers can be a fun addition to your travels. But not all speakers are portable or durable, let alone have good sound quality. Here are our picks of Bluetooth speakers that are compact and light enough for the road and built to take bumps along the way.

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Stories we're following

• Comic-book fans—and now video gamers—have discovered China's Monkey King. Here’s the real story.
• Watch out for this brain-eating amoeba. It’s on the rise—thanks to climate change.
• The hidden hiking paradise in India’s remote north
• Aging accelerates in two bursts as we age. When exactly?