All Stories

Libyan Desert Glass found in the Great Sand Sea along the border of Libya and Egypt. This specimen weighs 22 grams and is about 55 mm wide.

deserts & desserts

How a Meteor Crash Formed Stunning Desert Glass

It was precious enough for King Tut’s tomb.

So thirsty!

desert

The Thirsty Beetles That Capture the Fog

In the Namib Desert, slaking thirst is a slow process.

This image comes from a Jell-O advertisement that reads, "Isn't it evident from the butler's face that he is proud of the dish?"

status food

Before Jell-O, Colorful Gelatin Desserts Were Haute Cuisine

Celebrity chefs served molded jelly dishes to monarchs and royalty.

"The Cell Door," by Nelson Mandela.

south africa

Nelson Mandela's Prison Cell, Through His Eyes

The drawing is one of more than 20 original artworks by the Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

The city of Pripyat was an atomgrad—atomic city—built to house the technicians and workers at plant and their families. By April 1986, the town had a population of almost 50,000, but was small enough that it could be crossed on foot in 15 minutes.

energy

Life in Pripyat Before, And the Morning After, the Chernobyl Disaster

When the scale of a tragedy dawned.

Wadi Rum in southern Jordan.

deserts & desserts

In Jordan, Bedouins Are Preserving Ancient Rock Art With an App

Locals are using their phones to document and assess the engravings of Wadi Rum.

Hello to you, worm lizard.

lizards

The Goofy Worm Lizard That Beats the Heat by Never Coming to the Surface

It has claws like a mole, eyes that look like poppy seeds, and a great strategy for evading predators and filling up on prey.

Mt. Spurr, near Anchorage, Alaska: not the desert.

deserts & desserts

The Most Interesting, Spectacular Mirages Aren’t in the Desert

Spoiler alert: Try the Arctic or Sicily instead.

Ostriches on a farm in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.

deserts & desserts

The Strange Tale of the Great 1911 Trans-Saharan Ostrich Heist

Big hats, big risks, big payoffs.

Earth is more alien than we often give it credit for.

show & tell

26 Real Animals That Shouldn't Exist, But Do Anyway

Atlas Obscura readers nominated their favorite unlikely creatures, from pangolin to axolotl.

Notre Dame's iconic spire, pictured before the blaze that toppled it.

cathedral

Medieval Cathedral Spires Have Been at Risk From the Get Go

For centuries, they’ve been toppled by lightning, wind, and more.

The trio of hives, on the bottom left, as they appeared in 2016.

paris

Notre Dame’s Bees Seem to Have Survived the Blaze

A little bit of sweet news.

Gray and Yellowfly standing beside one of the interferometer at LIGO's 2.5-mile-long arms.

lasers

Meet the Mother-Son Duo Translating Astrophysics Into Blackfoot

Corey Gray and Sharon Yellowfly want to bring gravitational wave astronomy to speakers of the language.

The flip side of Robert Crawford Jr.’s recently reused grave.

graveyards

Are Double-Sided Graves the Solution to London's Burial Crisis?

Toward a new definition of eternity.

Behold, the Hibiscadelphus woodii.

drones

A Remote Valley, a Drone, And an Extinct Flower That's Not Extinct Anymore

A find from Hawai'i's cliffs.

An artis's rendition of Simbakubwa kutokaafrika.

mammal

Found: One of the Largest Carnivorous Land Mammals Ever, in a Museum Drawer

Despite its massive size, it had been overlooked for 40 years.

Who could blame the Romans for introducing such a cute species?

bunnies

Found: Britain's First Pet Bunny

The rabbit was pampered and definitely not butchered.

Researchers recreated Wari chicha.

peru

How Breweries Helped Keep This Pre-Columbian Empire Together

Researchers recreated Wari chicha for science and happy hour.