What happens when Arctic islands aren't islands at all

+ the long wait for household robots ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Explorers were ecstatic when they spotted a gravelly mound in the ocean off the northern tip of Greenland last year – it looked like a new island, and it would be a contender for the northernmost land mass in the world. Then a team of surveyors arrived this summer, and they realized they were standing on something else entirely. In fact, several Arctic islands that had appeared over recent decades weren’t islands at all.

You’ll have to read atmospheric scientist Kevin Hamilton’s article to unravel the mystery. He weaves a wonderful tale of historic redrawing of maps of the Arctic over the years. The story highlights an unusual expedition in 1931 involving American, Soviet and German scientists working together aboard the Graf Zeppelin, a sister airship of the ill-fated Hindenburg, to explore another Arctic island chain that wasn’t all as it appeared.

This week we also liked articles about biting bugsChristian nationalism and the use of "Latinx."

Stacy Morford

Environment + Climate Editor

These ‘islands’ are on the move. Martin Nissen

Ghost islands of the Arctic: The world’s ‘northern-most island’ isn’t the first to be erased from the map

Kevin Hamilton, University of Hawaii

The new discovery echoes a mission in 1931, when a five-day zeppelin flight sent robots to the stratosphere and redrew the maps of the high Arctic.

Who wouldn’t want a robot to handle all the household drudgery? Skathi/iStock via Getty Images

Why household robot servants are a lot harder to build than robotic vacuums and automated warehouse workers

Ayonga Hereid, The Ohio State University

Videos of humanoid robots dancing and performing backflips in the lab notwithstanding, robots that wash your dishes and fold your laundry are still years away. A roboticist explains why.

Mosquitoes need to feed on blood in order to reproduce. But how do they choose whom to feed on? boonchai wedmakawand/Moment via GettyImages

Why are some people mosquito magnets and others unbothered? A medical entomologist points to metabolism, body odor and mindset

Jonathan Day, University of Florida

Mosquitoes can track down potential hosts using the CO2 released by humans’ metabolic processes, a medical entomologist explains.

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