Cara Giaimo's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Leaderboard Highlights
Cara Giaimo's activity rankings
1st
Places visited in Jonesport, Maine
1st
Places added to Manteo, North Carolina
1st
Places visited in United States / Canada
2nd
Places added to Outer Hebrides, Scotland
2nd
Places edited in Nye County, Nevada
2nd
Places edited in Visby, Sweden
3rd
Places added to Quito, Ecuador
3rd
Places edited in Vanuatu
3rd
Places edited in Pacifica, California
story
cows

Peculiar Pastures in Kenya Were Once Poop Patches

How old dung heaps become biodiversity hotspots.
September 5, 2018
story
color

The Murky Future of America's Lakes

Where have all the blue lakes gone?
August 30, 2018
story
california missions

The Cowboy Cartographer Who Loved California

Jo Mora poured the state's whole history—and his own life—into his incredibly detailed, whimsical maps.
August 30, 2018
story
profiles

The Marvelous Manholes of Massachusetts

An afternoon with Daniel Fireside, one of the Boston area's most dedicated drainspotters.
August 28, 2018
story
propaganda

A Giant Speaker in Taiwan Is About to Switch on Again

Beishan Broadcast Station, which once blasted propaganda across the ocean, has found another purpose.
August 24, 2018
story
algae

An Adorable Algae Ball Mystery Has Been Solved

Sometimes marimo float, and sometimes they sink. But why?
August 22, 2018
story
ancient

Lessons From a 5,000-Year-Old Kenyan Cemetery

Logatham North Pillar Site is upending old assumptions about why people make monuments.
August 21, 2018
story
activism

Why These Grizzly-Loving Women Entered a Lottery to Hunt Grizzlies

Inside the environmental protest sweeping Wyoming.
August 20, 2018
story
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.
August 17, 2018
story
canada

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

It's a slippery situation.
August 14, 2018
story
anthropocene

What Is Walden Pond?

Its cultural meaning may be calcified—but off the page, it's changing fast.
August 10, 2018
story
beaches

All the Bizarre Things Our Readers Have Found on the Beach

Functional light bulbs, messages from the dead, and lots and lots of dentures.
August 8, 2018
Gastro Obscura
story
corn

How to Make a Robot Move, Using Popcorn

The future is now and it’s happening, appropriately, at Cornell University.
August 7, 2018
story
reptiles

Glamour Shots of Reptiles, Brought to You by Science

"All right Mr. Herpetologist, I'm ready for my close-up."
August 2, 2018
story
sleep

Peek Inside an Unexpected Moth Slumber Party

The flying insects usually go solo—but one lepidopterist surprised hundreds snoozing together in a hollow tree.
August 1, 2018
story
beaches

What's the Most Surprising Thing You've Ever Found Washed Up on the Beach?

Every piece of flotsam has a story to tell.
July 31, 2018
story
children's literature

Is Dr. Seuss's Lorax Real?

New research suggests the creature is based on a particular monkey that the writer encountered in Kenya.
July 26, 2018
story
gentrification

An Ever-Shifting Austin Art Space Makes Its Biggest Move Yet

HOPE Outdoor Gallery is a local landmark. Will its spirit follow it to its new location?
July 24, 2018
story
waterfalls

Chicago’s Last Waterfall Is About to Disappear

It's four feet high and bad for fish.
July 18, 2018
Gastro Obscura
story
mammal

The Only Mammals Reckless Enough to Eat Hot Peppers Are Humans and Tree Shrews

These little guys would share a bag of Takis with you.
July 18, 2018
story
bridge

Swarms of Summer Birds Are Lowering the Speed Limit on a North Carolina Bridge

When purple martins moved into the William B. Umstead bridge, the laws changed.
July 13, 2018
story
sanctuaries

Canada’s Ultimate Plant Mom Will Take Your Unwanted Shrubs

And your irises, rosebushes, and spruce trees, too.
July 11, 2018
story
mars

Found: Ancient 'Ghost Dunes' on Mars

There might be surprises inside.
July 11, 2018
story
pink

Found: The First Color Made By a Living Thing

It's 1.1 billion years old, and it's bright pink.
July 10, 2018