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Architecture

Highly social, narwhals travel in pods, often broken off by sex, and communicate via complex vocalizations that seem to be specific to their herds.

Does the Narwhal’s Majestic Tusk Have a Point?

A Connecticut dentist, turned curator of a new exhibition, has long worked to solve the secrets of the whale’s characteristic horn

The Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal.

Canada

This Bridge Transforms Data on Weather, Traffic and Twitter Rants into a Beautiful Light Display

The Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal lights up the skyline with the mood of the city

An earthship seems to rise out of the high plains at the foot of the mountains near Taos, New Mexico.

These Otherworldly “Earthships” Offer Visitors Unusual, Off-the-Grid Accommodations

Spend the night in an art house built from garbage

Georgia Tech engineers Glaucio Paulino and Jerry Qi show two of their 3-D printed "tensegrity" structures that fold flat and build themselves up with heat. These are just proofs of concept, but Qi and Paulino predict that structures like this could be used to build space habitats or heart stents.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Print, Then Heat for Self-Assembling Space Stations

With special ‘memory’ polymers, stents and space habitats could one day build themselves

The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, is one of the few remnants of America’s mid-20th century motel boom.

The Rise and Fall of the Great American Motel

Mom and pop motels once dominated American highways. Now, they’re an endangered species

A skull believed to have belonged to a companion of St. Ursula. The bones of other saints are said to lie under the gemstones and gold fabric.

Portraits of Faith

A Pittsburgh Church Holds the Greatest Collection of Relics Outside of the Vatican

Behold the treasures of this tiny neighborhood church

Seattle’s Space Needle Is Getting a Makeover to Enhance Panoramic Views

Interior and sand floor of the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue in Willemstad, Curacao

Why Sand Covers the Floor of One of the Western Hemisphere’s Oldest Synagogues

Fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe, Jews found unexpected shelter on the island of Curaçao

When Fresh Air Went Out of Fashion at Hospitals

How the hospital went from luxury resort to windowless box

Catalonia

First House Designed by Antoni Gaudí to Open as a Museum

The vibrant Casa Vicens was an early hallmark of Gaudí’s unique style

In his 1910 rendering of the Winslow House, Wright seems to mimic Ando Hiroshige’s use of vegetation as a frame.

Frank Lloyd Wright Credited Japan for His All-American Aesthetic

The famed architect was inspired by drawings and works from the Asian nation

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Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Buildings (and One Doghouse) Open for Rare Tours in Honor of the Architect’s 150th Birthday

These new or normally unavailable tours and displays pay homage to an architecture legacy

This Engineering Job Is Not for the Faint-Hearted

The engineers working on 3 World Trade Center in New York are among the most daring around

Where to Go if You Want to See Manhattanhenge in 2017

It’s the most anticipated sunset of the year

Bjarke Ingels

Bjarke Ingels Makes the Impossible Concrete

The star architect is mapping out a new daring plan for the Smithsonian

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Six Must-See Historical Landmarks in Macao

Hamilton Mausoleum, Scotland

From Whispering Galleries to Echo Chambers, These Five Architectural Structures Have Extraordinary Acoustics

Hearing things? Listen closely and you’ll begin to understand why

Peles Castle

These Stunning, Less-Visited Castles in Europe Are Straight Out of a Fairy Tale

Europe’s hidden fortresses are postcard-perfect

On the canal in Tongli.

Explore China’s Ancient Water Towns

The Venice of the East sits just 30 minutes by train from Shanghai

Emoji cover the facade of this Dutch building.

Cool Finds

This Building Is Covered in Emoji

-Person raising both hands in celebration-

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