libraries
Oxford’s Library Once Branded Its Sauciest Books With a Greek Letter
How James Joyce, Madonna, and Monty Python ended up on the same restricted shelf.
Articles by Matthew Taub
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Stories
Stories shared by this traveler.
libraries
The Competitive Book Sorters Who Spread Knowledge Around New York
Inside an annual contest of brains, brawn, and library logistics.
sounds
You Can Now Eavesdrop on Orcas on Your Computer
Listen to the peaceful, and sometimes not-so-peaceful, sounds of the sea for the sake of science.
science
Moth Fur Is the Ultimate Acoustic Armor
It muffles the clicks of ravenous, echolocating bats.
ancient
Found: Vulgar Mosaics in a Roman Latrine
They offered bathroom-goers some raunchy entertainment.
pollution
See How Badly Crop Burning Is Fouling Northern India's Air
NASA photos show an impenetrable haze.
murder
For Sale: Fragments of the Grassy Knoll Kennedy Conspiracy Theory
These fence posts were witnesses to history.
food
Found: Teeth From a Medieval Sea Monster/Delicacy
Fancy a lamprey pie?
ancient
The Ancient Mesoamerican City That Spawned Copies of Itself
New laser imaging shows Izapa's suburbs were like mini-capitals.
dinosaurs
We Always Thought This Dinosaur Was a Vegetarian, Then We Found Its Front Teeth
A sharp surprise from Montana's Hell Creek.
cemeteries
Why England Once Forced Everyone to Be Buried in Wool
Transgressors had to pay a heavy fine.
hidden
Found: A Photo of the Man Who Fired Van Gogh and Changed Art History
A portrait of the artist as a bad salesman.
science
Mule Deer Are Eating Away at the Most Massive Living Thing in the World
A special aspen grove needs the chance to regenerate.
ships
A Century Ago, Wood-Eating Worms Devastated San Francisco Bay
The battle against them is still being waged today.
science
The Original 'Humungous Fungus' Is Even Bigger and Older Than We Thought
But it's not the biggest.
animals
Dead Whales Once Saved Polar Bears From Climate Change, But Not This Time
Less sea ice and fewer whales mean a grim outlook.
restaurants
The Great French Mustache Strike of 1907
Parisian waiters had to fight for the right to manly whiskers.
ancient
Found: An Ancient Roman Comic Strip With Speech Bubbles
“Alas for me! I am dead!”
rats
City Cats Might Not Be the Rat-Control Option We Thought They Were
But they're still bad news for birds.
science
Desert Ants Can Remember Food Smells Like Gourmet Chefs
But they quickly forget the smells of their own nests.
castles
Found: The Likely Birthplace of King Henry VII
Think of it as the first Tudor mansion.
haunted
What a South Carolina Ghost Story Says About Hurricanes and History
The Gray Man was a warning that it was time to leave.
caves
Found: Evidence of the Oldest Beer Ever Brewed
It's possible that beer even came before bread.
sacred spaces
It's Rosh Hashanah, and a Ukrainian Town Is Bursting With Jewish Pilgrims
For the first time, Israel has opened a temporary consulate to help manage the chaos.
