natashafrost's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

natashafrost

I'm a former writer for Atlas Obscura and present-day fan. Find me now @natashamfrost on Twitter.

www.natashamfrost.com

2017
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How a Craze for Accordion Music Gave Us 'NME'

The British music magazine focused on the squeezebox before the axe.

The Sad Story of the Moriori, Who Learned to Live at the Edge of the World

How the remoteness of the Chatham Islands forged a resilient people.

The Rediscovery of 5 'Extinct' Types of Heritage Apple

A fruit sleuth digs deep.

What Ancient DNA Can Tell Us About the Settlement of Vanuatu

A mismatch between genetics and language has baffled researchers for decades.

The Loch Ness Monster Is the Latest Cryptid to Have Its Own Coin

Scotland's most lovable lake creature has been commemorated on a new ten-pence piece.

A Modern Controversy Over Ancient Homosexuality

In 1980, a gay historian’s book about Catholic Church-approved homosexuality enraged both gays and Catholics.

A New Species of Tardigrade Has Been Found in a Japanese Parking Lot

Greetings, Macrobiotus shonaicus!

A Quest for the Gros Michel, the Great Banana of Yesteryear

The forgotten, flavorsome Big Mike is elusive, but not impossible to find.

February 28, 2018

The Online Censorship of a 30,000-Year-Old Statuette

Facebook puts the kibosh on the Venus of Willendorf.

February 28, 2018

The Common Language of Gesture Between Bonobos and Chimps

If a bonobo presented you its arm, would you know what it meant?

February 27, 2018

Why Europe's First Celebrity Chef Named His Dishes After the Rich and Famous

Auguste Escoffier was the all-star genius behind Melba toast.

February 26, 2018

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Awaits Its Millionth Crop Deposit

Bambara groundnuts, black-eyed peas, and Estonian onion potato seeds are headed to the bank.

February 26, 2018

Your Climate Change Monsters, Revealed

The face of climate change, as chosen by Atlas Obscura readers.

February 23, 2018

The Earliest European Cave Art Was Made by Neanderthals

A new study suggests that they had the capacity for symbolic behavior.

February 23, 2018

Why Bees Prefer the Countryside

Summer in the city can spell danger for some wild bees.

February 22, 2018

Finding the Unexpected Wonder in More Than 22,000 International Standards

From brewing tea to making shipping containers.

February 22, 2018

A Train That Inspired a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' Character Is Turning 100

Duncan is based on a locomotive called Douglas.

February 21, 2018

The Average Gray Squirrel Is Surprisingly Good at Problem Solving

Sorry, red squirrels.

February 20, 2018

What We Thought We Knew About Bunnies Was Wrong

Scientists have debunked a centuries-old legend about rabbit domestication.

February 19, 2018

The Special Stew at the Heart of Sumo Wrestling

Why one dish defines an entire sport.

February 16, 2018

The Underground Magazine That Sparked the Longest Obscenity Trial in British History

In 1970, the editors of OZ magazine handed over the reins to a group of teens. Not long after, the police showed up.

February 16, 2018

What Fossilized Poop Tells Us About an Extinct Giant Bird From New Zealand

Resurrecting the moa's diet.

February 13, 2018

How Anti-Plagiarism Software Led Scholars to a New Shakespeare Source Text

A thoroughly modern literary excavation.

February 12, 2018

The Russian Train Stop That Serves One Schoolgirl

February 9, 2018