In today’s Escape: See a rare space phenomenon, the surprising health benefits of mocktails, and how your voice changes as you age. 

But first: Who were the Flores “hobbits”?  

 PHOTOGRAPH BY IRA BLOCK, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

A long time ago, on the island of Flores in Indonesia, there lived strange, small-statured humans who dwelled among giant storks and shrunken elephants. While they aren’t exactly the hobbits from Lord of the Rings, Homo floresiensis represent a unique lineage during a time of multiple human species and continues to puzzle scientists today.

More stories:
— He returned to the ‘cave of bones’ to solve the mysteries of human origins
— This is why Lucy has been the face of human evolution for the last 50 years

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA/JPL-CALTECH/STSCI/CXC/UOFA/ESA/AURA/JHU

ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW TWOMBLY

If you’ve ever heard of rewilding (or if it’s your first time) you should know that it benefits you, your community, and your planet—and you can do it right in your backyard. Hint: It’s not just about bringing endangered species into the wild. What does it mean?

A. Where humans get in touch with their wild side.
B. Where humans step back while nature steps in. 
C. Where you reintroduce domestic animals to the wild.
D. None of the above

BEFORE YOU GO: Have you heard that side sleeping is bad for you? Depending on who you are, maybe not.

Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by Jennifer Baik and produced by Alisher Egamov. Thanks for reading! Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for all our newsletters here.