Why a Wayward Coati’s Selfie on a Brazilian Airbase Surprised Scientists
The adorable appearance highlights an unexpected ally in conservation. The camera trap footage is silent, and lasts just a few seconds. In the background, morning light filters through to the forest...
View ArticleHow America Embraced Aspics With Threatening Auras
From futuristic test kitchens to Under-the-Sea Salad, midcentury Jell-O took a turn for the weird. The lamb ribs lie in a precisely arranged herringbone pattern, surrounded by nubs of green beans,...
View ArticlePodcast: The Maiden of Deception Pass
Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of...
View ArticleThe Carousel that Saved a Town
How building a children's attraction rebuilt the community of Albany, Oregon. Entering the octagonal brick building that houses Albany, Oregon’s carousel is like stepping into a children’s picture...
View ArticlePodcast: Ruins of Le Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale
Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of...
View ArticleThis Island in the Amazon Is Producing Award-Winning Cheese
On Marajó, the buffaloes outnumber people. Marajó, Brazil, is the world’s largest fluvial-maritime island. Located at the mouth of the Amazon River, it was built over millennia by the waterway itself,...
View ArticleUncovering the Secrets of a Forgotten Viking Town
The remnants of Borgund were buried in the dirt for centuries and then sat in museum storage for decades. Three hundred miles northwest of Oslo, Norway, nestled between replicas of medieval turf homes...
View ArticleFor Sustainable Coffee, These Ships Take to the High Seas
The old-fashioned way is also the carbon-neutral way. The De Gallant, a grand, century-old ship, looks at odds with the other vessels bobbing in Penzance Harbor. She has no engine. Only sweeping sails...
View ArticleMeet the Sword-Wielding Grandmother Bringing Women Back to Indian Martial Arts
Women who practiced kalaripayattu were a thing of the past—until Meenakshi Amma. Clad in a red sari with a gold border, Meenakshi Raghavan wields a sword and a shield. The petite woman assumes a...
View ArticleIn Japan, School ‘Intruder’ Drills Are Full-Contact and Unpredictable
In response to safety concerns, teachers and staff are trained to subdue and disarm. “A man with a knife will come to the school today.” It’s not exactly the greeting one expects upon showing up to...
View ArticleAn Ancient Roman Cult's Rituals Included Feasting, Fire, and Floor Cleaning
To uncover new clues about the secretive world of Mithraism, scientists considered evidence right at their feet. Inside the chamber it is dark, and the flickers of torchlight play across the features...
View ArticleNative Societies Harvested Billions of Oysters Sustainably
Conservationists should look to Indigenous history to fix the future. Mound Key, an uninhabited island off the coast of southwest Florida, rises more than 30 feet above the shallow waters of Estero...
View ArticlePuzzle Monday: Here's the Plan Crossword
Each Monday we’re going to tease that brain of yours. This Atlas Obscura themed crossword comes from independent crossword constructor Brendan Emmett Quigley. He has been a professional puzzlemaker...
View ArticlePodcast: The Last Big Mac in Iceland
Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of...
View ArticleInside a Queen Conch Nursery in Puerto Rico That May Help Save the Iconic...
The region's first and only locally-run hatchery provides a boost for both fishers and the imperiled royal sea snail. This piece was originally published in Hakai Magazine and appears here as part of...
View ArticleDoes This Fruit Really Taste Like Chocolate Pudding?
Plus the turducken of beers. THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE MAY 14, 2022, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. I’m always a little suspicious when anyone...
View ArticlePodcast: Goblin Valley State Park
Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of...
View ArticleSouthern Spain's Ancient Water Network Sustains Life but Faces an Uncertain...
"Sowing water" in this mountainous region has been crucial for people, crops, and biodiversity for more than a millennium. High above the whitewashed village of Bérchules, nestled in the folds of...
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