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miniatures

What Secrets Are Behind the Magic of Miniatures? AO Wants to Know.

Artist Amanda Kelly crafts tiny worlds that tell intricate stories.
Andrew Coletti April 3, 2025
Perhaps due to Japan's temperate climate, the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu is more gentle and benevolent than some other sun deities.
space exploration

How Can Myths Help Us Understand the Stars? AO Wants to Know.

Astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier teaches science through storytelling.
Andrew Coletti March 20, 2025
A brown rat peeks out from the grass.
science

What Makes an Animal a Pest? AO Wants to Know.

Animal-human conflict expert Bethany Brookshire explains why we put cats before rats.
Andrew Coletti January 24, 2025
The first ever crossword puzzle was published in December 1913 on the 'Fun' page of <em>The New York World</em>. Since then, millions more have been published around the world.
games

How Crossword Creators Make our Favorite Word Games

We sat down with crossword editors to talk Viking words, pizza rat, and the joy of wordplay.
Adrienne Raphel May 30, 2024
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Nadia Abuisnaineh gazes up at the 2023 partial eclipse.
religion

A Palestinian Woman’s Quest to Share the Eclipse With Her Community

For this NASA ambassador, religion and stargazing go hand in hand.
Jonathan Feakins March 29, 2024
Taken at West Lawn Park, near Chicago's Midway International Airport, this photo shows one of the city's many "Astronomer Joe" fan bases.
astronomy

‘Astro Joe’ Invites Chicagoans To Gaze at the Night Sky

Self-taught astronomer, Joe Guzman has been educating Chicago residents about space for decades.
Jonathan Feakins March 15, 2024
Preston on the expedition to the Lost City in Honduras.
murder

The Archaeology Journalist Whose Adventures Are Stranger Than Fiction

From venom that can bubble human skin to a sealed Egyptian tomb, Douglas Preston's got an Indiana Jones thing going on.
Danielle Hallock February 13, 2024
If the bones aren’t taken care of correctly, the spirit could put a curse on the family.
bones

Meet the Man Who Digs Up Graves to Lift Curses

Families hire a bone collector in Taiwan to fix problematic tombs—and sometimes deal with ghosts.
Clarissa Wei October 5, 2023
victorian

Uncovering Edinburgh’s Hidden Victorian History—One Doorway at a Time

A new project delves into the stories of forgotten Edinburgh residents and the places they called home.
Sukhada Tatke September 6, 2023
Tischendorf, who works in special education, moved to Australia from her native South Africa with her family as a teenager.
islands

Meet the Woman Who Made a Historic Swim in Shark-Infested Waters

Lauren Tischendorf is the first woman to complete the grueling 20-mile swim around Lord Howe Island in Australia.
Sarah Durn August 9, 2022
vikings

Meet the Woman on a Quest to Attend Every Wondrous British Festival

The historian behind an online database of eccentric traditions has already visited more than 550 events.
Bonnie December 9, 2021
women

Meet the Woman Who Trekked a 1,200-Mile Ice Age Trail in the Dead of Winter

Emily Ford is the first woman and first person of color to complete the grueling hike.
Gemma Tarlach March 29, 2021