Maris Fessenden

 

Maris Fessenden is a freelance science writer and artist who appreciates small things and wide open spaces.

Vermeer's "Little Street" painting compared to the buildings at the present-day address.

An Expert Has Figured Out the Real-Life Location of Vermeer’s “Little Street” Painting

The painter probably had a personal connection with the house that figures prominently in the painting.

Screenshot from "American Panorama" showing the origins of foreign-born Americans living in Washington, D.C. in 2000.

Explore America’s History With These Richly Interactive Maps

“American Panorama” delves into the social, political and economic movements that define this country

A doctor and patients in Nicaragua during an outbreak of dengue and chikugunya virus earlier in 2015

Introducing the First Dengue Fever Vaccine

Three countries have already approved the vaccine

What Should People Do With Food Waste? Make Beer

Craft beers are getting creative

People's Brain Chemistry May Reveal the Hour of Their Death

The tiny biological clocks ticking away inside the body stop when life ends, leaving a timestamp of sorts

Inside the one of the newly restored houses of Pompeii

Ancient Pompeii Is Alive Again as Italian Officials Unveil Six Restored Ruins

The “Grand Pompeii Project” helps to preserve the dwellings

A Giant Squid Visits a Japanese Harbor

These denizens of the deep usually lurk between 2,000 to 3,000 feet below the surface

Screenshot from “The story of space debris” showing the Earth's cluttered space in 2015.

Jettison Through Nearly 60 Years of Space Junk Accumulation

People have been leaving a mess out in Earth's orbit

France Has a Power Plant Fueled by Cheese

Of course they do

This Pen Can Draw Electrical Circuits

A silver salt based ink lets users draw any circuit they can dream

Listen to Bob Dylan Read '’Twas the Night Before Christmas'

A favorite voice interprets a classic

The back shell of NASA’s InSight spacecraft being lowered onto the lander, last July, in preparation for the mission.

Here's Why NASA Had to Postpone a 2016 Mission to Mars

A leak in a key instrument on board the InSight lander means the team will have to wait for the next launch window in 2018

Coast Redwood trees are one of the more than 200 species threatened by extinction around the world.

Meet the World’s Most Threatened Christmas Trees

Some conifers' survival is endangered by disease, deforestation and competition

This Hearing Test Can Be Taken Over the Phone

Though it doesn't replace a visit to a doctor, researchers hope it will persuade more people to seek help

A long exposure captures the Falcon 9's launch and return.

SpaceX's Rocket Stuck the Landing

During the first Falcon 9 launch in six months, the first stage booster rocket make a neat u-turn in air and a clean landing on the ground

Yellow and red are the primary colors in this double rainbow.

Not All Rainbows Have Every Color

Depending on the angle of the sun, ROY G. BIV don't all necessarily appear

Lions Get More Protection From the Endangered Species Act

Americans will still be able to hunt in some regions, but bringing trophies home will be harder

The collective called Pussy Riot

Montenegro Will Get a Women’s-Only Art Museum

The museum was proposed by feminist punk collective Pussy Riot

How Do Hardworking Hummingbirds Keep Cool?

Special “windows” in the feathers covering their tiny bodies prevent overheating while hovering and flying

After this traditional Japanese wedding ceremony, the bride is required to take her new husband’s surname

In Japan, Couples Are Still Legally Required to Have the Same Surname

The Supreme Court upheld a century-old law that was challenged by equal rights activitsts

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