Articles

Cool Finds

An Abandoned Mall in Bangkok Has Turned into a Gigantic Fish Habitat

Though if it weren’t for the fish, the mall would be overrun with mosquitoes

July 16, 2014

The Big Mystery Behind the Great Train Robbery May Finally Have Been Solved

Chris Long’s A Tale of Two Thieves examines the largest cash theft of its time

July 16, 2014

New Research

Why Freshwater Dolphins Are Some of the World’s Most Endangered Mammals

In Pakistan, dams and drainage has reduced the endangered Indus River dolphin’s range by 80 percent

July 16, 2014

Washington, D.C.

Anthrax Letters, Now on View, Represent the Serious Threats Faced by the Post Office

The National Postal Museum’s “Behind the Badge” exhibit explores the history and legacy of the United States Postal Inspection Service

July 16, 2014

Tech Watch

Could Implants in the Brain Revive Memory?

The Defense Department is funding research to see if “neuroprosthetics” implanted in the brain can heal damaged memory.

July 16, 2014

Why Museums Don’t Need Gleaming New Buildings, Especially Not in Los Angeles

An award-winning architect suggests that the city reconsider its plans to raze its iconic art museum

July 15, 2014

The Hunt for the Best Ballpark Hot Dog

Tom Lohr has been traveling the country making his own list of All-Star franks. Who has the best one?

July 15, 2014

Looking for a New Place to Live? This Man Chose an Airplane

Oregon man Bruce Campbell created a home in a salvaged 727 aircraft

July 14, 2014

How Legos Could Change What We Know About Plants

Researchers are using toy bricks to study how plants react to environmental factors.

July 14, 2014

World Cup 2014

What Makes Soccer’s Chants So Catchy?

Songs like “Olé, Olé, Olé” and “Seven Nation Army” are dominating soccer. Music experts weigh in on why that is

July 11, 2014

Peering Into Some of the World’s Largest Mines

This interactive map will show you the sources of the planet’s precious metals

July 11, 2014

Bringing the Farm to Your Backyard

Development Supported Agriculture is a growing trend in the housing world, and one subdivision is taking it mainstream

July 11, 2014

Tech Watch

A Smart Sensor Could Detect Glaucoma Before Your Doctor Does

A pair of Washington researchers could be first to implant an electronic sensor—designed to give real-time analysis of the disease—directly into the eye

July 11, 2014

Washington, D.C.

When Washington, D.C. Came Close to Being Conquered by the Confederacy

The year was 1864, and the South was all but beaten, yet Jubal Early’s ragged army had D.C. within its grasp

July 1988

New Research

Popular Pesticides Linked to Drops in Bird Populations

This is the latest in a string of studies suggesting that some pesticides impact birds as well as pollinators

July 10, 2014

When the Last of the Great Auks Died, It Was by the Crush of a Fisherman’s Boot

Birds once plentiful and abundant, are the subject of a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum

July 10, 2014

These Photos and Recipes of Authentic Thai Food Will Make You Drool for Curry

Food writer and photographer Jean-Pierre Gabriel spent 3 years traveling and developing the ultimate encyclopedia of Thai cuisine

July 10, 2014

New Research

Why the City Is (Usually) Hotter than the Countryside

The smoothness of the landscape and the local climate—not the materials of the concrete jungle—govern the urban heat island effect, a new study finds

July 9, 2014

New Research

Fat Corals Fare Best As Climate Changes

Corals with significant energy reserves that welcome all types of symbiotic algae species won’t easily die if hit with multiple bleaching events

July 9, 2014

The Universal Typeface Project Averages the World’s Handwriting to Produce an Incredibly Average Font

With your help, ballpoint pioneer BIC aims to create a font as common as their pens

July 9, 2014