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mexico

The Sweet Secrets of a Fifth-Generation Sugar Skull Maker

Elvira Mondragón Garcia's products range from the size of a gum ball to a human head.
November 1, 2017
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31 days of halloween

The Modern Lives of Medieval Monster Scholars

It's an interesting time to see the world through the eyes of blemmyes and demons.
October 31, 2017
Gastro Obscura
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spiders

The Heritage Beer Brewed With Some Help From Spiders

When fruit flies love your beer, you don't mind a few webs in the brewery.
October 31, 2017
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boats

The Effort to Bring Sail Freight Back to New York’s Hudson River

What's old is new again.
October 31, 2017
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witchcraft

A Look Back at America's Psychedelic Countercultural Witch Music

Occult albums in the '60s and '70s combined ambient tunes and spoken spells.
October 31, 2017
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31 days of halloween

European 'Corpse Medicine' Promised Better Health Through Cannibalism

“Take the fresh, unspotted cadaver of a redheaded man..."
October 31, 2017
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31 days of halloween

Meet a Scottish 'Witch' Who Died 300 Years Ago

Digital reconstruction gives a face to a sad tale.
October 31, 2017
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mushrooms

Found: A Rare Bodysnatching Fungus

The Powdercap Strangler is no joke.
October 31, 2017
Gastro Obscura
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underground cooking

The Secret History of Paris's Catacomb Mushrooms

In the 1800s, farmers cultivated mushrooms in abandoned quarries underneath the French capital.
October 31, 2017
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dreams

Welcome to Your Worst Nightmares

We asked you to tell us about them, and they are chilling.
October 30, 2017
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events

Revisit the Enchantment of 'Into the Veil'

A short film for those who missed this year's big event in New York—or want to relive it.
October 30, 2017
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artificial intelligence

An Artificial Intelligence Bot Writes Stories of the Macabre

"Shelley" conjures tales of disembodied mouths, surprise male pregnancies, and a house full of dolls.
October 30, 2017
Gastro Obscura
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menu monday

The Club Dedicated to Eating Unconventional Aquatic Creatures

The Ichthyophagous Club changed America's relationship to seafood.
October 30, 2017
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vampires

The Myth of a Medical Explanation for Vampirism

The problem is that real people suffer from these conditions.
October 30, 2017
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renaissance

How 16th-Century European Mapmakers Described the World’s Oceans

For some, they were an obstacle. For others, they were an opportunity.
October 30, 2017
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clubs

Stumbling on Skeletons in Old Odd Fellows Lodges

The fraternal organization has literal skeletons in their closets—and cupboards, back rooms, and attics.
October 30, 2017
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story

Philadelphia's Reading Viaduct Underwent a Major Transformation on Friday the 13th

The old railroad is receiving a new life.
Sponsored by Timberland
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space

Found: A Planet Where It Snows Sunscreen's Active Ingredient

Only on the planet's dark side, though.
October 30, 2017