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Inside the World’s Largest Two-Headed Calf Collection
A San Francisco collector's unlikely herd of taxidermy cows will have you seeing double. Henry S. Rosenthal stands beside the hand-painted curtain to his Two-Headed Calf MOOseum in San Francisco with...
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These Fantastic Spanish Sculptures Were Built to Burn
Las Fallas is both a "collective exorcism" and a celebration of craft. From the outside, Estudio Chuky looks like any of the unassuming warehouses that dot Carrer Camp Rodat, a street in Valencia’s...
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How Can Myths Help Us Understand the Stars? AO Wants to Know.
Astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier teaches science through storytelling. AO Wants to Know is an ongoing interview series where we ask experts in extraordinary subjects to share their knowledge...
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The Heyday of Horror Hotlines and Why We Still Love to Fear the Phone
A lesser-known subgenre of the 900-number boom allowed callers to connect with Freddy Krueger and chat with zombies. It’s no accident Freddy Krueger is the most famous monster of the last 50 years. He...
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What Does a Galaxy Taste Like?
Exploring how flavor chemists, or "flavorists," create imaginative—and imaginary—flavors. This article is adapted from the March 22, 2025 edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can...
View ArticleDear Atlas: How Do I Safely Explore Abandoned Places?
The essential gear and safety precautions for visiting the world’s forgotten wonders. Dear Atlas is Atlas Obscura’s travel advice column, answering the questions you won’t find in traditional...
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Demand for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa
The Succulent Karoo is home to desert plant species found nowhere else on the planet—criminal networks have been digging them up by the millions. This story was originally published in Yale Environment...
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One Last Ride for Antarctica’s 'Ivan the Terra Bus'
After more than 30 years as an iconic fixture of the polar research station, this beloved bus is bidding farewell to the southern continent. Everyone in Antarctica knows Ivan. Even those that haven’t...
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Raise a Toast to L.A.'s Century-Old Breakfast Club
Angelenos get up at dawn for fun, friendship, and eggs. Shannon King’s first experience with the Los Angeles Breakfast Club was a presentation by Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr. Unlike most educational...
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Gator, Boar, and Venison? Inside the Boldest Bowl of Chili in Florida.
This recipe is one-part familiar, one-part exotic, and 100% delicious. Hundreds of years ago, long before terms like “forest to table” or “farm to fork” were trendy, Florida’s Indigenous...
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A Friendlier Form of Bullfighting in the 'Wild West' of France
Straddling sport and spectacle, the course camarguaise puts humans and animals on equal footing. A dusty arena in the French village of Marsillargues seems like an improbable setting for Carmen. The...
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Meet Pennsylvania's Apple-Snatching 'Little Bigfoot'
The Albatwitch will steal your fruit, then scurry back into the trees. Early one February morning in 2002, Rick Fisher was driving down Route 23 toward Marietta, Pennsylvania, when he saw what he...
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Zine Archives Preserve Trans Survival and Storytelling
In private collections and public libraries, the pages of these handmade publications hold a wealth of queer history and community. On an August night in 1991, Nancy Jean Burkholder was kicked out of...
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On the Road in a Giant Almond
Nothing captures the attention like big food on wheels. This article is adapted from the March 29, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. Since the advent...
View ArticleDear Atlas: How Can I Turn My Airport Layover Into an Adventure?
Make the most of your travel time. Dear Atlas is Atlas Obscura’s travel advice column, answering the questions you won’t find in traditional guidebooks. Have a question for our experts? Submit it here....
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This Octopus Is Using a Beer Bottle as a Nursery
In the Florida Keys, a marine biologist discovered a bit of debris that had become a cephalopod dwelling. This piece was originally published in Vox and appears here as part of our Climate Desk...
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The Lingering Mystery of the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke
From historians to horror writers to white nationalists, attempts to explain the settlement's fate reveal a great deal about our own attitudes. In late summer of 1937, a man named Louis E. Hammond...
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This Is the Most Detailed Map of Antarctica Ever Made
Scientists compiled decades of data to reveal the continent hiding beneath millions of miles of ice. If you had to, how would you remove 6.5 million cubic miles of ice from Antarctica? In truth, you...
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