isaacschultz's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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lizards

Lizards Are Evolving in Response to Fierce Hurricane Seasons

They need to get a grip.
April 30, 2020
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deep time

One of Geology’s Great Mysteries May Actually Be Many Smaller Mysteries

The “Great Unconformity” is a big chunk of missing deep time.
April 28, 2020
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paleontology

What It’s Like to Find Prehistoric Dinosaur Tracks on the Ceiling

Of course, they are deep underground and came from 75-ton titanosaurs.
April 22, 2020
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accents

Prolonged Isolation Can Lead to the Creation of New Accents

Social distancing might not entirely change the way we talk, but a Mars expedition might do the trick.
April 20, 2020
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manuscripts

The Mystery of a Medieval Blue Ink Has Been Solved

Turns out it was hiding in plain sight by the side of a Portuguese road.
April 17, 2020
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ash

See the Soft Aquarelle Watercolors That Resulted From Krakatoa’s Big Bang

A set of paintings show the calm, lingering aftermath of a world-shaking event.
April 13, 2020
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mediterranean

Scientists Are Tracking the Ancient Luxury Market for Decorated Ostrich Eggs

“This is a shared understanding of bling, of what it means to be rich."
April 10, 2020
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antiques

A Show & Tell With Upstate New York’s 'Radio Guy'

His collection of scary-looking headgear from the past is sure to get into your head.
April 8, 2020
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sculptures

A Trailblazing Japanese-American Sculptor Is Getting Her Own Postage Stamps

Ruth Asawa also championed arts education—and had a great recipe for salt dough for sculpting at home.
April 6, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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neanderthals

Holed Up in a Portuguese Cave, Neanderthals Supped on Seafood

For skeptics, no amount of crab legs and speared shark are enough to upend the caveman stereotype.
April 6, 2020
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sleep

Why Europe's Cave Bears Were—and Weren't—Made for Hunkering Down

Their big sinuses were both an evolutionary boon and bust.
April 3, 2020
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epidemics

European Plague Doctor Garb Was Black, Beaked, and Very Bleak

These haunting uniforms make today's masks look tame.
April 2, 2020
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ancient greece

The Date of an Ancient Mediterranean Eruption Is Hidden in Dead Trees

Specifically, in the wood of a royal Phrygian tomb.
April 1, 2020
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virtual reality

See Europe’s Ruined Medieval Castles Come Back to Life

Seven virtual reconstructions offer a glimpse at the fortified past.
March 26, 2020
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submarines

Found: The Cold War Wreck of a World War II Submarine

A training exercise in 1958 sent the USS Stickleback to the ocean floor.
March 26, 2020
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sports

An Ancient Ballcourt in Oaxaca Expands a Sport’s Footprint

3,000 years before the Aztecs, Mesoamericans were already playing ball.
March 25, 2020
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caves

Itsy-Bitsy Indonesian Rocks Are Rewriting the History of Ancient Art

The token-size stones offer insight into life 20,000 years ago.
March 24, 2020
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research

Help Atlas Obscura Find the Smithsonian’s Weirdest Items

With 2.8 million new artifacts on view, there should be plenty to choose from.
March 19, 2020
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chemistry

In 1893, a Swedish Playwright Thought He’d Captured the Stars

August Strindberg’s failed photography experiment continued to evolve, chemically and beautifully, long after his death.
March 16, 2020
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empire

The Republic of Venice Died in 1797. Now You Can Visit It.

Meet Giovanni Vale, your travel guide to countries that no longer exist.
March 10, 2020
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genetics

Found: Possible Traces of DNA, in a Fossilized Dino Skull

This ancient hadrosaur has some microscopic secrets.
March 5, 2020
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wax anatomy

Why a 272-Year-Old Philosopher Just Got Carted Across a College Quad

A new home for Jeremy Bentham’s old bones is prompting a philosophical debate.
March 4, 2020
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utopias

For Sale: Sir Thomas More’s Utopian Alphabet

The humanist scholar fudged a language into existence.
March 2, 2020
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road trip

Revisiting a Classic Photo Compendium of Giant Roadside Curios

John Margolies played an outsize role in memorializing America’s outsize attractions.
February 28, 2020