Cities and Urban Areas
No Place Compares to the Unrelenting Lifelessness of Peru’s Sechura Desert
From the lush, tropical mountains, we descended into a landscape of flailing-armed cacti, spiny succulents like giant artichokes and sand dunes as high as mountains
January 10, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
This Road Glows in the Dark
If you've ever been on a dark country road, you know how hard it can be to see just where the asphalt ends and the rest of the world begins. Well, in the Netherlands, they've proposed a clever solution: glow in the dark road paint
January 09, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Candor and Lies of Nazi Officer Albert Speer
The minister of armaments was happy to tell his captors about the war machine he had built. But it was a different story when he was asked about the Holocaust
January 08, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
From the Slums of Lima to the Peaks of the Andes
After unpacking and assembling his bicycle at the airport terminal, the author heads north on the Pan-American Highway toward the mountain town of Canta
January 07, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Congratulations, You Accidentally Wrote a Book Last Year
People wrote more than 40,000 words on average last year... in email
January 04, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
A Short Bike Ride in the Peruvian Andes
The author kicks off 2013 with a 1,100-mile cycling journey through the Andes from Lima, Peru, to Ecuador's lofty capital of Quito
January 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Best Places to See and Celebrate the Winter Solstice
Many temples and monuments were intentionally built to face, frame or otherwise "welcome" the rising winter solstice sun
December 20, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Coconut Shell Contraption Turns Your Bicycle Into a Monty Python Skit
This bicycle-mounted coconut holder lets you pretend you're riding a horse
December 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Stop Texting While You’re Walking
Texting while walking is pretty obviously a bad idea - but just how bad is it?
December 19, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
A Frightening and Fascinating Journey Through North Korea
When a Philadelphia couple took a world tour in 2011, they quickly struck upon the idea of visiting one of the world's most mysterious places
December 18, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Should Trophy Hunting of Lions Be Banned?
Some argue that tourist safari hunts generate important money for African nations—but can lions afford the loss?
December 07, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Motopia: A Pedestrian Paradise
Visit the futuristic town where drivers and non-drivers live in perfect harmony
December 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Urbanization Is Supersizing Spiders
City-dwelling spiders are bigger than their country-living brethren
December 03, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Have GPS Devices Taken the Fun out of Navigation?
With the rise of the digital age, the fascinating skills of map reading and celestial navigation are becoming lost arts
December 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Madame Restell: The Abortionist of Fifth Avenue
Without benefit of medical training, Madame Restell spent 40 years as a "female physician"
November 27, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
Ambient Noise Spurs Creativity
Modest ambient noise - like that found in a coffee shop or cafe - triggers the part of our brain responsible for abstract and creative thinking
November 26, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Here’s the Reality We’re Signing Up For By Letting Climate Change Happen
Say goodbye to winter, New Orleans, olive oil, rivers and world peace if climate change plays out as predicted
November 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Shell Oil Has Been Selling Itself As a Protector of Nature Since the 1930s
From gateway to guardian, Shell's eco-based advertisements through the years
November 19, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Life And Death of Wonder Bread
Clever advertising and technical innovations propelled Wonder Bread to the top
November 16, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Marking 50 Years of Luxurious Travel With James Bond
Since 1962, the films have introduced the world to all sorts of exotic, jaw-dropping destinations
November 08, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
