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Hacienda del Jaral de Berrios.
San Felipe, Mexico

Hacienda del Jaral de Berrios

During its heyday, the massive estate boasted its own railroad station and post office.
A chromolithograph of <em>Fragaria ananassa</em>.
food

The 18th-Century Spy Who Gave Us Big Strawberries

Two American strawberries reunited in Europe, and gave us the fruit we love today.
Mike Allen November 16, 2017
Near a <em>fogou</em> entrance, West Cornwall.
tunnels

When Did Humans Become a Burrowing Species?

Digging into our drive to tunnel, bore, and head underground.
Sarah Laskow November 16, 2017
<em>Babur Being Entertained in Ghazni</em>, from the <em>Baburnama</em>, the memoirs of Ẓahīr al-din Muhammad.
food

The Conqueror Who Longed for Melons

Many Indian dishes can be traced back, indirectly, to a 16th-century, food-obsessed ruler named Babur.
Mark Hay November 15, 2017
One side of the seal shows two nude lovers embracing.
Norwich, England

Balthild Seal Matrix

This unusual 7th-century Frankish seal offers more questions than answers about its past.
Sheldon Peck's home today.
Lombard, Illinois

Sheldon Peck Homestead

People escaping slavery passed through the oldest house in Lombard, Illinois on their northbound journey to freedom.
International Temple of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Washington, D.C.

International Temple of the Order of the Eastern Star

Obscure Freemasons still live in D.C.’s largest private residence.
The tauroctony in the Mithraeum at Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
cults

The Ancient Roman Cult That Continues to Vex Scholars

The Mithraic Mysteries worshipped a pagan god from subterranean temples buried throughout the empire.
Kerry Wolfe November 13, 2017
The ROV that captured footage of the wreck of <em>SS Itata</em>, 650 feet down.
disasters

Found: The Wreck of Chile's 'Titanic'

After decades of searching, the site where 400 lost their lives has been identified.
Vittoria Traverso November 13, 2017
An overgrown sunken road/green way in Symondsbury, Dorset.
Dorset, England

Holloways of Dorset

These ancient sunken lanes were naturally tunneled into the soft ground by countless footsteps.
A beachside bounty from a clambake.
Gastro Obscura

Clambake

An ancient cooking method still produces delicious, beachside feasts.
Sumalak, also known as samanu, is one of the seven traditional dishes of Nowruz.
Gastro Obscura

Sumalak

A sweet and simple pudding traditionally made in a joyous, spring ritual.
An ideal final product from a curanto.
Gastro Obscura

Curanto

Chile’s clambake may be the world's oldest recipe.
A visitor to the Louvre is tempted by Canaletto's 18th-century painting "The Rialto Bridge in Venice."
wunderkammers

Why Can't People Stop Touching Museum Exhibits?

After years of watching, one researcher thinks she's got the answer.
Cara Giaimo November 10, 2017
A cuneiform tablet with a marriage contract from Kültepe-Kaneshe, Turkey.
cultures and civilizations

Found: A Cuneiform Marriage Contract That Addresses Infertility and Surrogacy

They had two years to procreate, or a hierodule would be hired.
Vittoria Traverso November 10, 2017
An image of Kepler's supernova remnant from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
astronomy

A Short History of the Supernova, From Ancient China to the New 'Zombie Star'

Going out with a bang.
Vittoria Traverso November 10, 2017
Richmond Castle, Kalutara
Kalutara, Sri Lanka

Richmond Castle in Kalutara

This palatial, 99-doored Colonial mansion is a marvel of architectural fusion.
Symbols of New Orleans carved into the trunk of the tree
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Music Tree

A hurricane-stricken oak tree has been reborn as a beautiful chainsaw artwork.