YOUR WEEKLY ESCAPE: This may be the world's oldest drawing

Plus: An ancient climate mystery; banana science; the birth of tweed; extraordinary plants [A 200-YEAR-OLD ROSE]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [A 200-YEAR-OLD ROSE]( [National Geographic]( Your Weekly Escape Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places in a time of turmoil PHOTOGRAPH BY IRA BLOCK, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION [Earth's odd rotation may solve an ancient climate mystery]( A geologic change might have plunged lush landscapes into arid zones, killing off an array of creatures—and it might happen again one day. [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC [The surprising science behind the world's most popular fruit]( Getting a banana to market is a complex process—and a race against the clock. Also, did you know they're classified as berries? [SEE ITS JOURNEY]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG FOSTER [A 73,000-year-old doodle may be the world's oldest drawing]( The flake of stone found in a cave in South Africa predates the previous earliest known cave art—found in Indonesia and Spain—by 30,000 years. [BUT IS IT ART?]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK KNIGHT [Centuries later, these plants are still radiant]( In the herbarium at London's Natural History Museum, specimens gathered over more than 300 years are housed in a climate-controlled chamber. [SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [This famous dodo didn't just die—it was murdered]( An analysis of one of the best preserved specimens of the extinct animal—known as the "Oxford Dodo"—reveals how it met its end. [WATCH VIDEO]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [QUOTE] We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don't like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary. Carol S. Dweck American psychologist; author of [Mindset]( from [The power of believing you can improve]( PHOTOGRAPH BY BERT HARDY, PICTURE POST/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES [How tweed became a symbol of Scottish culture]( "It's firmly rooted in crawling over hills in the coldest, wettest rain imaginable." [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID GUTTENFELDER [How did Tokyo overcome war and natural disaster? By reinventing itself.]( The city is the ultimate social influencer, the node through which the world connects to Japanese culture. Even if you've never been there, it has already changed your life. [SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( X Games Aspen 2021 starts this Friday. Don’t miss Chloe Kim, Shaun White, Gus Kenworthy and more go for gold on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. Register for the all-new X Fest at Xgames.com/xfest. [VISIT NOW]( Need a distraction? [The minimalist's strength workout (Outside)]( ›› [Tour a historic home, from the comfort of your own (New York Times)]( ›› This newsletter is curated by Janey Adams. [Sign up here]( ) to receive Your Weekly Escape and/or our daily newsletters—covering History, Travel, Science, Animals, and Photography news. See you next week. Blue skies, green lights! [NGM]( [NGM]( SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS {We'd like to hear from you! Tell us what you think of our emails by sharing your feedback in this short survey. [TAKE THE SURVEY]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [READ OUR LATEST STORIES]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [FB]( [Twitter]( [IG]( Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply. This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored. This email contains an advertisement from: National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 You are receiving this email because you elected to receive marketing communications from National Geographic under the terms of our [Privacy Policy](. [Unsubscribe]( from all emails. © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved. LITMUS TRACKING PIXEL}