All Stories

Farmers on a trajinera, a traditional flat-bottomed river boat.

pre-columbian

How to Feed a Megacity Like the Aztecs

The chinampas that nourished Tenochtitlan may hold the key to better urban gardens.

Bison help engineer the spring regrowth with their grazing patterns.

migrations

Understanding How Bison Might Help Shape the Future of the Badlands

New lessons from resurgent herds.

Font Romeu, France — Above the tree line just east of Andorra, the River Tet has its headwaters in many small streams that eventually converge. One June day, a fierce storm stalled over this area, dropping so much hail that it remained until the next day, and accumulated as though it were snowfall. The line at the bottom of this image represents a fence—a grazing boundary that had an effect on the hail's presentation.

abstract wonder

See What the Pyrenees Look Like From an Antique Airplane

The mountain range offers a wealth of gorgeous, unexpected textures.

Arabinda Das Gupta in his historic shop, which was founded by his grandfather in 1886.

book village

The Uncertain Future of the World's Largest Secondhand Book Market

At the College Street market in Kolkata, India, independent booksellers fear the arrival of a massive mall.

Duluwat Island, now officially back in the hands of the Wiyot Tribe.

repatriation

How the Wiyot Tribe Won Back a Sacred California Island

The tribe finally completed a ceremony interrupted by a massacre in 1860.

Private businesses along Route 66 saw their share of littering.

garbage

Along the Remains of Route 66, Road Trip Trash Has Become Treasure

Welcome to the “throw zone.”

The map included grocery stores, bakery, and a Japanese-Korean restaurant and hotel.

immigration

Tour Honolulu's Japanese Food Scene With This 1906 Map

More than a century ago, Takei Nekketsu mapped Japanese-owned businesses for recent immigrants.

Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from ibis mummies, millions of which have been found in Egyptian catacombs.

genetics

Ancient Egypt’s Ibis Mummies Were Probably Not Raised in Giant Sacred Ranches

Genetic research suggests a more local solution to meet demand.

Denise's pygmy seahorse, perched in a gorgonian.

seahorses

Taiwan’s Pygmy Seahorses Have a Robust Social Media Presence

Scientists used it to conduct a survey of them in the country's dive hotspots.

William Hughes, like other Europeans in the Americas, learned—and often stole—from indigenous people.

columbian exchange

A Pirate Botanist Helped Bring Hot Chocolate to England

William Hughes was a buccaneer with an early recipe for “the American Nectar.”

The "Manchu-Han Imperial Banquet" brought peace to an empire, so the story goes.

feast

The Greatest Banquet in Chinese History That Never Was

How grilled ape, braised bear paw, and steamed camel hump came to symbolize national unity.

The telescope is located in a radio-quiet zone, and is part of what will be the world's largest radio telescope, spanning 13 countries.

telescopes

Probing the Secrets of the Universe From Deep in the Australian Outback

Extreme heat, ants, and stray cell phones are big concerns.

The five-legged, three-tailed cat in question.

mummies

This Five-Legged Cat Mummy Is Not as Strange as It Seems

A recently scanned cat mummy was probably not a scam, but the remains of animals that died on a sacred site.

The researchers detected arsenic, lead, and antimony in the yellow paint—meaning it was more than just orpiment.

chemistry

Found: Surprisingly Modern Paint on an Ancient Egyptian Gate

How did a pigment that Vermeer used in the 1600s wind up on Egyptian art from the 6th century BC?

After surviving a church fire, the windows sat in a garage for 50 years.

auctions

For Sale: Two Tiffany-Style Windows From a Historic South Side Church

The auctioneers think they’re Tiffany, but it’s actually hard to prove.

One theory holds that Monterey Jack was developed by Scotsman David Jacks.

cheese

The Cheese Makers Keeping Monterey Jack's Local Legend Alive

Only one farmstead in Monterey County still makes the famed cheese.

Katz's Delicatessen sits alongside soaring luxury condos.

construction

Picturing Manhattan's Shortest Buildings From the Ground Floor

A photographer set out to document single-story buildings—the anti-skyscrapers.

One wreck closely resembles Vasa in size and shape, leading to speculation that it may be Äpplet, its sister ship.

maritime history

Found: 17th-Century Warships at the Bottom of a Swedish Channel

They could be related to the famous, ill-fated "Vasa."