September 07, 2021

Aquarium Life What does it take to keep a massive aquarium running? We recently gained behind-the-scenes access to Italy’s largest aquarium, the Acquario di Genova or Aquarium of Genoa, to learn about what it takes to keep some 12,000 marine creatures alive—and how getting acquainted with the creatures of the oceans is the most important job for the marine biologists, curators, technicians, and others on staff. Dive in!  READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Don’t Sleep on Canadian Whisky Canadian whisky is all contradictions. It’s unknown and yet somehow incredibly popular. It’s critically dismissed but wins global whiskey awards. The blended drink is among the most fascinating liquors on the market. And yet, chances are, if you’ve bought some, you did it by accident. READ MORE → GRANTS, NEW MEXICO Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano The Bandera Volcano Ice Cave, also known as the Zuni Cave, is a lava tube cave formed by the nearby Bandera volcano more than 3,000 years ago. Inside the cave, the temperature never rises above 31 degrees Fahrenheit, with the green hue of the ice coming from arctic algae. This frozen oasis sits in a landscape that is affectionately known as New Mexico’s “Land of Ice and Fire.” READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA EXPERIENCES Curios of the New York Public Library Curious about what mysterious artifacts live within the walls of The New York Public Library? Join us for the first episode of this new bi-monthly collaboration and get a rare look at the stranger-than-fiction items of the Pforzheimer collection. This unique collection centers around the works and times of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley and her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. If you wonder what fragments of a skull and a lock of hair are doing in a library, then join us to find out! LEARN MORE → FROM THE ARCHIVES A Deep Sea Nuclear Legacy As it turns out, indiscriminately detonating nuclear bombs across the globe, some 500 times or more stronger than those dropped during World War II, can have a pretty profound effect on the world. Evidence of Cold War nuclear testing has made its way to the deepest reaches of the Pacific Ocean, with evidence of radioactive carbon—also known as “bomb carbon”—showing up in the tissues of crustaceans living in iconic trenches such as the Mariana, Mussau, and New Britain. READ MORE → LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA The Last Bookstore More than a few bibliophiles would prefer that their prized possessions be kept in a bank vault as opposed to a bookshelf, but few actually get to see their dream in action. Enter The Last Bookstore, an iconic Los Angeles book shop with a not-so-subtly symbolic name that is housed in the grand atrium of what was once a bank. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA EXPERIENCES Global Moves: Haka Come learn the haka with us! Learn the traditional war dance of the Māori people of New Zealand. Haka incorporates full-body movement, voice, facial expressions, self-expression, mind, breath, spirit, posture, and action. Don’t miss this chance to learn about one of the most enlivening dances in the world, and experience the power of this cultural phenomenon! LEARN MORE → The Only Bookstore on Najafi Street Tucked into an alleyway off Najafi Street in the Iraqi city of Mosul is a small red and gold sign advertising a bookstore: Maktaba al-Sham. Not long ago, it was one of countless bookstores along the wide avenue; but today, Najafi Street is in ruins, burned by the ISIS fighters who occupied Mosul and bombed by a United States-led coalition in an effort to liberate the city. Four years after the liberation of Mosul in 2017, Maktaba al-Sham is the first, and so far the only, bookshop to return to the street. READ MORE → MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA Spoonbridge and Cherry A toweringly silly piece of modern art has been delighting locals since the 1980s. This giant spoon and cherry was erected in 1985 by artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife, Coosje van Bruggen and is the centerpiece of the Walker Art Center’s Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the largest urban sculpture park in the world. The spoon itself weighs 5,800 pounds and the cherry, another 1,200 pounds! Talk about a heavy dessert. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY WEST VIRGINIA TOURISM Smoke Hole Caverns Over the course of millions of years, drops of water carved out the expanse of the Smoke Hole Caverns in West Virginia, one of the few commercial caves in the state. Inside, you’ll find one of the world’s largest ribbon stalactites and the Room of a Million Stalactites, the main room of the cavern that features a 274-foot ceiling. LEARN MORE →