jessicahester1's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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technology

Tool-Wielding Crows Rustle Up the Most Snacks

The utensils are useful, but it's still unclear exactly how the corvids learn to make them.
January 26, 2018
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media

The Schmaltzy Reality Radio Dramas That Heralded Courtroom Television

Hear "Mediation Board" and meet A.L. Alexander, the schlocky but sincere host.
January 26, 2018
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plastic

The Staggering Scope of the Plastic Threat to Coral Reefs

Garbage floating in the ocean is likely to be swarming with bacteria, which can make corals sick.
January 25, 2018
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entomology

The Tiniest Parasitic Fly in the World Is Named After Arnold Schwarzenegger

It's just 0.395 millimeters long.
January 24, 2018
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silent film

Keeping the Art of Silent Film Music Alive

Nearly a century after talkies stole the show, composers, musicians, and audiences are still playing along.
January 23, 2018
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fungus

The Fungus That Could Patch Up Cracking Buildings

What if concrete could heal itself from the inside out?
January 22, 2018
Gastro Obscura
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food art

Putting Ancient Recipes on the Plate

To better understand the distant past, it can help to taste and smell it.
January 19, 2018
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wishlist

Wishlist: A Compelling Appreciation of Old-School Hard Work

"Cræft," Alexander Langlands' excellent book, is part history, part travelog, and part hay-making manual.
January 19, 2018
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prehistoric

Why More Animals Don't Use Their Tails as Weapons

By wielding their built-in defenses, some prehistoric creatures thwacked enemies hard enough to crack bone.
January 18, 2018
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color

How We Know That This Dinosaur Had Bright, Audacious Plumage

Microscopic structures hint at an iridescent past.
January 15, 2018
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radio

When Quackery on the Radio Was a Public Health Crisis

In the 1920s and 30s, regulators and experts grappled with how to stop the sale of dubious devices and miracle cures over the airwaves.
January 12, 2018
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volcanoes

What We Can Learn From Mapping a Massive Underwater Volcano

Researchers sent an autonomous underwater vehicle and a robot to study Havre, which erupted in 2012.
January 11, 2018
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journeys

Found: The Owner of the Camera That Recorded Its Own Disappearance

A reunion after hundreds of miles and months at sea.
January 8, 2018
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mathematics

Found: A Special, Mind-Bogglingly Large Prime Number

It's more than 23 million digits long, if you're counting.
January 5, 2018
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reptiles

Found: A New Species of Lizard in a Dinosaur's Stomach

A prehistoric snack is now thought to be a previously unknown species.
January 3, 2018
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shoes

Walking the Walk With a Professional Shoe Conservator

The past, present, and future of footwear, from an expert charged with keeping soles intact.
January 2, 2018
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genetics

The Curious Case of the Shrinking Moose Skulls

Researchers studied 40 years of craniums on an island in Lake Superior.
December 29, 2017
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greenhouses

The Toronto Greenhouse Where the Victorian Era Bursts Back to Life

Sheltered against the freezing winter, this plant show transports visitors back in time, and to a balmier climate.
December 28, 2017
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concrete

To Make Fracture-Resistant Concrete, Let a Sea Urchin Be Your Guide

Strong and flexible building materials, inspired by ocean life.
December 22, 2017
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egypt

The Alchemy and Artistry of Ancient Egypt's Funerary Portraits

High-tech imaging tools are taking researchers under the paint, layer by layer.
December 21, 2017
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mammoths

What Do You Do When You Find a Mammoth on Your Farm?

A behind-the-scenes look at harvest time, soil drainage, and Pleistocene megafauna.
December 20, 2017
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bacteria

The Mighty Antarctic Microbes That Survive on Air Alone

It turns out the “minimal nutritional requirements for life” are quite minimal indeed.
December 19, 2017
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the year in wonder

2017 Brought Disasters, and Brought Out the Best in People

When wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other crises delivered one wallop after another, bravery, kindness, and creativity fought back.
December 18, 2017
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archive

A Glimpse of American History Through the Process of Becoming a Citizen

Personal stories of naturalization from the collection of the New-York Historical Society.
December 18, 2017