Articles by Jessica Leigh Hester

A 19th-century infographic that stacks a redwood against St. Peter's Basilica.

Way, way out in the Nevada desert, there's a perfect house for the posh recluse in your life.

Eventually, quilted, glittering pajamas gave way to parkas and moon boots.

A giant oak is staring down the leafy green beyond.

But in the wake of the blaze, a ranger said the prognosis isn't so gloomy.

Hey there, neighbor!

They're not actually alive, of course, but they do migrate.

Tadpole shrimp hunker down, waiting for water conditions to be just right.

Meet the most metal of the North African snakes.

They need 'em in order to weather the coldest desert on Earth.

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

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

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

A little bit of sweet news.

Dragons, flea circuses, mermaids, and more wonders of the city.

This trove of images captures the 1906 geological event that brought the city to its knees.

But to get a sharper look, we’ll have to journey to space.

Which are best suited for a life among the stars?

Won't someone, anyone, buy Fort Montgomery?

Photographer Yukihito Masuura spent more than a decade documenting rituals that connect past and present.

The National Library of Scotland isn’t afraid of heights.

It took several weeks, protective masks, and elbow grease. Oh, and also pickaxes.

The small, ornate tomes were big status symbols.

A familiar sight, millions of miles away.