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The Bat-Loving Naturalists Translating the Silent Language of the Night

Listen in as they swat away mosquitoes and brave a dark forest to eavesdrop on echolocation.

Coach Stagg and the 1907 University of Chicago Football Team.

diets

How a Football Team Became Mascots for Vegetarianism

In 1907, a championship squad changed what it meant to eat meat-free.

An Ostrich Saving Its Young with the Blood of an Asp, from Miroir de l’Humaine Salvation, France, 15th century.

manuscripts

The Secret Meanings Behind the Beasts in a Medieval Menagerie

In Middle Age Europe, animals were popular storytellers.

Mother Louise, a popular alewife.

plague

For Centuries, Alewives Dominated the Brewing Industry

The Church and anti-witch propaganda may have contributed to beermaking becoming a boys' club.

Many of you mentioned that the smell of cabbage reminds you of home.

smells

All the Sweet and Surprising Smells That Remind Us of Home

We asked our readers to describe the scent of childhood, and their answers didn't stink.

Maud pulls into Bergen Port in Norway.

arctic circle

After a Century in the Ice, Maud Has Returned Home to Norway

The polar exploration ship survived freezing, sinking, and seizure by creditors.

A "batnado" in action.

rice

'Batnadoes' Can Protect California’s Crops

Bats are farmers' new best friends.

Two vendors at the Bukhara bazaar sell melons.

silk road

Tracing the Overlooked Legacy of the Silk Road's Fruits and Nuts

A new archaeobotanical study is helping shift the historical record.

This fragment of a mummy mask from the Egyptian Museum in Turin shows a mummification scene, dating to between 332 B.C. and 30 B.C. New research suggests that deliberate mummification rituals date back thousands of years further.

egypt

Found: A Mummification Recipe From Prehistoric Egypt

New research shows ancient embalmers were using resins and gums far earlier than we thought.

A Minoan town buried under ash from the Thera eruption.

volcanoes

No One Knows the Exact Year of the Largest Volcanic Eruption of Our Age

Scientists are hoping archaeology, carbon dating, and tree rings together can help solve the mystery.

Rhododendrons in bloom.

explore asheville

How a Nature Lover Spends 3 Obscure Days in Asheville

Field biologist Josh Kelly shares his perfect long weekend in the verdant North Carolina city.

The outlines of the old parterre garden re-emerged in the heat.

summer

How a Heat Wave Revealed the Outlines of a Hidden Garden and Ghost Village

At an English estate, the ground still remembers its past.

The Scythian Lamb hovers on its bendy stalk, chomping on the surrounding vegetation.

sheep

For Centuries, People Thought Lambs Grew on Trees

The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary puzzled scientists and philosophers.

Tim Curtis on the door of the lock.

jobs

The Ups and Downs of Being a Canal Lockmaster

Keeping a 170-year-old tradition alive on the mighty Muskingum.

blue point brewing company

A Beer-Lover's Ultimate Summer Friday

Blue Point Brewing Company led guests through their brand new facilities in Patchogue and kept their cups full.

From left: Workers lower the 5.3-kiloton bomb used in the Salmon test into the ground; The second bomb was set off in the cavity gouged out by the first test two years earlier.

weapons

In the 1960s, the U.S. Government Set Off a Pair of Nukes Under Mississippi

It’s a nearly forgotten chapter of Cold War history that seems hard to fathom today—even for those who were there.

Ronald Heisser's scientific spaghetti-bender.

pasta

Science Can Now Break a Strand of Spaghetti Into Just Two Pieces

Also, you're not supposed to break spaghetti.

A glamor shot of Vaseline.

canada

Why Are All These Vaseline Jars Showing Up on a Calgary Street?

It's a slippery situation.