Articles by Jessica Leigh Hester

Panoramic view of Paris not guaranteed.

The massive Lochnagar Crater, as seen from a satellite.

The naturalist Peter A. Browne's collection of strands, tufts, and swatches—from animals and presidents alike—was almost lost.

It involves a syringe.

Researchers have recreated the acoustic atmosphere of the ancient Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba.

If John J. Rink had gotten his way, that is.

Sea burial is a way to save space in a dense city, but runs counter to funeral traditions.

The London Library combed through its shelves to track down his marginalia.

These samples of lunar soil are very expensive, too.

How a New York town made its fictional identity a reality.

Hard to access and hemmed in by explosive activity, these graveyards are stuck in limbo.

Climate change is causing trouble on Herschel Island.

Before Arlington was a national cemetery, it was the Lee homestead, and then a tent city for occupying troops.

Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, and then hitched a ride toward it.

A lesson in slowing down and looking close.

And does it matter if we had the date a little wrong for thousands of years?

Petrified wave ripples can tell us about the weather that dinosaurs saw.

Coastal erosion and flooding are bad news for these ancient places.

A beginner's guide to navigating with sound.

In the 19th century, the romance of mountains met the desire to quantify the natural world.

Whooping cranes are on the move, because of budget cuts.

Tracking small creatures is frustrating, delicate, fascinating work.

A metaphor for weathering a storm.

One resident compared the swarms to snow flurries.