gemmatarlach's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

gemmatarlach

I'm a former senior editor and writer at Atlas Obscura, certified forest and nature therapy guide, mead maker, and veteran of karaoke in Antarctica.

https://gemmatarlach.com/

2021
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published

This Remote, Active Volcano Is a Glassblowing Spider

Alaska’s Great Sitkin has been grumbling for nearly a year.

Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas?

Well, yes. And no. Actually, it depends on where you stand, in more ways than one.

abstract wonder

This Bird's Mating Dance Is Full of Stomp and Pomp

The great argus uses its unusual wing feathers to maximum, eye-catching effect.

abstract wonder

The Wild and Wonderful Whorls of Brash Ice

Wandering currents and spring thaws make sea ice in East Greenland look like curls of smoke.

What the World's Most Remote Islands Were Like Before Humans Arrived

Scientists dig deep for the lost bioscapes of the Marquesas Islands.

woman explorers

A Botanical Mystery Solved, After 146 Years

How a young illustrator’s attention to detail—and a determined Victorian woman's legacy—led to the discovery of a new species in an old painting.

women in conservation

The ‘Queen of the Mantas’ Who Became a Force of Nature

Lauded for her research on gentle giants of the sea, Andrea Marshall is using her fame to find hope for our troubled oceans.

women in conservation

The Anthropologist Who Has Spent 50 Years Protecting—and Learning From—Orangutans

Biruté Mary Galdikas has quietly fought on the frontlines of some of conservation’s biggest battles.

women in conservation

The Keeper of Sacred Bees Who Took on a Giant

To save her native Maya bees and their shrinking forests, Leydy Pech waged a fierce campaign on multiple fronts.

women in conservation

The Wildlife Scientist Finding Innovation in Ancient Ideas

Biologist Serra Hoagland bridges Indigenous traditions and modern methods.

women in conservation

The Ecologist Who Made Biodiversity Count

Georgina Mace helped change the way both scientists and policymakers see living things, including the most vulnerable.

Wild Weather Has Turned Bolivia's Salt Flats Into a Work of Art

A satellite captures the stunning effects of heavy rain and high winds on a landscape that—coincidentally—is used to calibrate satellites.

How to Connect With Nature Like a South African Wilderness Guide

Tragedy set Sicelo Mbatha on a course to understand, and make peace with, the wild on its own terms.

Did the Dinosaurs Die on a Pleasant North Dakota Spring Day?

Fish fossils may put "the single worst day for multicellular life on Earth" on the calendar.

February 23, 2022

Algeria’s Ancient Melting Pot Faces an Uncertain Future

For more than a millennium, Tipasa was a symbol of cross-cultural exchange. Now the sea is coming for it.

February 17, 2022

abstract wonder

Why Is This Rippling Alaska Glacier a Research Hotbed?

Malaspina Glacier is the world's most accessible of its kind—but that's not the only reason scientists find it so cool.

February 8, 2022

abstract wonder

Salt-Loving Microbes Make Vivid, Massive Abstract Art

For the latest addition to his stunning salt production series, photographer Tom Hegen ventured to Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

February 2, 2022

What Energized This Arctic Hare to Keep Going and Going and Going?

The animal known as BBYY traveled hundreds of miles, breaking records and shattering expectations.

February 1, 2022

secret lives of museums

How to Keep Europe’s Most Magnificent ‘Praying Room’ Looking Lovely

Every January, the doors close and the cleaning starts in Dresden’s iconic Stone Bell.

January 26, 2022

Discovering the Unexpected Wonder of Mumbai's Coastal Wildlife

Photographer Sarang Naik is reintroducing his hometown to its rich biodiversity, from glowing corals to dazzling sea slugs.

January 10, 2022

A View of the Space Age From the Classical World

This mesmerizing image brings the International Space Station and Rome's ancient Colosseum together.

January 4, 2022

the year in wonder 2021

In 2021, Wonders Came in All Shapes and Sizes

From tiny castle towns to big, beefy koalas, we discovered some superlative delights around the globe.

December 29, 2021

the year in wonder 2021

Flying Rhinos and Divine Tigers: Atlas Obscura’s Year of Awe-Inspiring Critters

Looking back on 2021's stories about amazing animals and the people helping to protect them.

December 23, 2021

the year in wonder 2021

Our Favorite Science Projects of the Year, From Fake Leopards to a Torture Orchard

A look back at the ingenious ways scientists advanced our understanding of the world in 2021.

December 22, 2021