Notebooks written by Charles Darwin show up in a pink bag 22 years after going missing
It's a mystery for the ages.

The return of Darwin's missing notebooks brings joy and relief to Cambridge University librarian.
Sometimes art imitates life. And other times, life imitates an art heist movie.
More than a century ago in the late 1830s, the innovative and disruptive scientist Charles Darwin had just returned from the Galapagos Islands. In his small, leather-bound notepad, he began to draw a vision that played on his mind: a tree with many branches.
The sketch was simple, crude even, but it helped inspire Darwin’s most elegant and groundbreaking theories on natural selection and evolution. His “Tree of Life” sketch put forth the notion that we are all connected, not just metaphorically. Without it, we might never have had his famous book “On the Origin of Species,” considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology.
Darwin's sketch of the Tree of Life.www.flickr.com
The notebook holds one of science's most important moments in history. And yet many thought it was gone forever. Until now.
BBC News reported that two of Darwin’s notebooks (one containing the original “Tree of Life” sketch) had first been noted as missing from their rightful home at Cambridge University back in January 2000.
Only two months prior, the University had received an “internal request” to remove them from the library so they could be photographed.
Could this photo request have been a ruse? Merely an elaborate scheme for the thief to get their hands on the parcels? Where’s Sherlock when you need him?!
Twenty years of book scouring later (Cambridge University’s library contains more than 10 million books) and finally Dr. Jessica Gardner, the university’s librarian, called Interpol to report the books as stolen.
At this point, they could be anywhere.
Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe the burglar had a change of heart, but only 15 months after issuing a worldwide appeal, the library received a bright pink bag from an anonymous sender.
In the pink bag was a blue box. In the blue box was a plain brown envelope. In the envelope … the two notebooks, perfectly protected by plastic wrap. You can’t make this stuff up.
Another five days followed. The library would have to get permission from the police to open the plastic wrap. And then they'd have to spend time painstakingly examining the contents for authenticity; things like multiple types of ink, a bit of copper coming off the hinges and the right type of paper.
Not only were the notebooks genuine, they were “in remarkably good condition,” Dr. Gardner told the BBC. “Every page that should be there is there.”
As far as who sent the package, well … that remains the biggest mystery of all. The sender left no traces of their identity, and to the package only attached a short, cryptic typed note which read:
“Librarian. Happy Easter. X.”
It’s rare to have such a fascinating whodunit in our modern time. But boy does this check all the boxes.
Though the university may never figure out exactly what happened to Darwin’s notebooks, having them back is enough for Dr. Gardner.
“I was heartbroken to learn of their loss and my joy at their return is immense,” she told the BBC.
It’s certainly made for one thrilling tale, all with a happy ending.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.