Articles by Roxanne Hoorn

From New Orleans's unappreciated musical genius to the search for a lost shipwreck off Florida, we highlight our favorite Black History stories of 2023.

To make it through the long, cold Arctic winters, reindeer can get their beauty sleep while they stock up on calories.

From carriage racing to winter surfing to mashed potato wrestling, these competitions captured our imaginations in 2023.

The story of these distinctive doggos is emerging from ancestral knowledge of the Coast Salish peoples and a new genetic study of the pelt of a pup named Mutton.

Wagashi is a way to celebrate the beauty of the seasons.

These moss balls move in unison, and researchers are okay with not knowing why.

Jack and his handler Collette Yee found challenges, meaning, and each other in their work helping scientists better understand orcas, bats, and more.

A new study shows how the birds identify their mates in a sea of black and white.

The 400-year-old fabric extends the iconic pattern's history in Scotland by over a century.

Renaming birds isn’t new, but this official change could be the start of something larger.

The Digital Florentine Codex’s three languages and thousands of hand-painted illustrations provide a window into culture, war, and daily life.

In rural Chile, the kodkod, or güiña, has a bad rep for stealing chickens—and as a portent of death and disaster.

In a Swedish amusement park, two volunteers faced their greatest fears—for science.

From human-teeth tiles to teeny-tiny taxidermy, this insanely detailed interactive diorama reflects the magic, lore, and history of the Southern Gothic.

Our archives offer a tour of the country's most elusive, mysterious characters.

The bird is sometimes considered an omen of death, but in Māori tradition, that's just one part of its story.

In the United Kingdom, the insects were once considered omens of death—they're actually much more destructive.

How an art prank created a new Halloween legend for the Miawpukek First Nation.

The serpent-like oarfish has long been considered an omen of natural disaster. Scientists are shaking up that old superstition.

From traditional Japanese log riding to charitable llama races in Colorado, this photographer has seen it all.

Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organs—and it’s actually pretty pleasant.

How to—and, more importantly, how not to—have an unforgettable wildlife encounter with the biggest fish in the sea.

The live, jewel-encrusted beetles called maquechs are tied to an ancient legend, but some worry for their future.

A female archaeologist is challenging the idea of men as hunters and women as gatherers, one throw at a time.