Fun Fungi E. hochstetteri is a mushroom, and it’s blue. It’s really, really, really blue—almost unbelievably blue, saturated in a way more often associated with kids’ markers or mouth-staining candy than with fungi.The diminutive mushrooms play an outsized role in New Zealand’s cultural landscape and also flourishes in locals’ lives, with the Māori using these mushrooms as food, medicine, and pigments for tattoos. Come learn about this mushroom that blue us all away.  READ MORE → GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Steelcase Pyramid Standing in the middle of an increasingly overgrown field in Gaines Township, Michigan, the former Steelcase Pyramid looks like something built by a robotic pharaoh from the future, but up until 2016 it was a vacant oddity. If you’re ever in the market for a sprawling futuristic pyramid with a secret manufacturing bunker underneath, be sure to let the pyramid’s new owners know. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY LAND ROVER Introducing Our New App Big news: We’re launching our first ever app on Apple iOS to help you rediscover the hidden wonders of the world! For years, we’ve tirelessly worked with our community members to help build a database of over 22,000 places highlighting the off-the-beaten-path, undiscovered, rare wonders that lurk in our backyards and further abroad. We’re pleased to bring that wonder to your phone alongside our launch partner Land Rover. Find your adventurous spirit and download the new Atlas Obscura app on Apple iOS today.  DOWNLOAD NOW → The Story of Sodom In the Old Testament, there’s a story of the devastation of Sodom—one where stones and fire rained from the sky, a city was destroyed, and city inhabitants were killed. The narrative may be inspired by a catastrophic impact on the city now called Tall el-Hammam, where an asteroid exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles above the ground, with a blast that was around 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Archaeologist Christopher Moore walks through how a team of archaeologists, geologists, geochemists, geomorphologists, mineralogists, paleobotanists, sedimentologists, cosmic-impact experts, and medical doctors built up this picture of devastation. READ MORE → LONDON, ENGLAND 'The Ambassadors' For the most part, this work by German master Hans Holbein the Younger is pretty standard. The main characters are Jean de Dinteville, French ambassador to England, and George de Selves, a scholar and diplomat. Symbolism is rife here; globes, a sundial, and other items serve as symbols of the political and religious divisions of the time. Then there’s the unusual disc that appears at the bottom of the painting—a visual puzzle that remains distorted until viewed from a specific vantage point. Can you guess what it is? READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES The Art of Death Death is taboo, private, mysterious. Most of us don’t know exactly what happens to the body as it’s dying, or after it’s dead, or how to try to connect with those who are gone. In this online course with Tessa Fontaine, we’ll take an inquisitive and interdisciplinary approach to thinking about death and dying. ENROLL TODAY → GASTRO OBSCURA Coffee in Sicily For more than 30 years, the Morettino family had been trying to produce their own coffee on a small piece of land in Sicily. And for 30 years they had failed. But last spring—largely due to high temperatures caused by climate change—66 seedlings produced about 30 kilograms of coffee, in a development that could turn the Italian island into the northernmost coffee plantation in the world. It’s a larger sign of how the climate emergency might affect the agricultural landscape as farmers scramble to adapt to new crops. READ MORE → SAKAIMINATO, JAPAN Rollercoaster Bridge The approach to the Eshima Ohashi bridge may greet drivers with a sense of trepidation. From afar, the almost vertical climb and descent are of rollercoaster proportions. The bridge is about a mile wide and at 44 meters tall, one of the highest in its class of bridge in the world, with a rigid frame structure. The view from either end of the bridge amplifies the actual incline, hence the rollercoaster nickname. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Taxidermy for Art & Design Step inside the studio of Allis Markham, an award-winning taxidermist and educator, to learn the art, science, and ethics of preserving animals for integration into art and design work. In this detailed lecture series, Allis will take students through the process of tanning leather, bleaching skulls, and more. ENROLL TODAY → FROM THE ARCHIVES Felicia the Ferret In 1971, physicists at the National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, began testing a massive proton synchrotron particle accelerator. But there was a problem: the magnets that were essential to the machine’s operation kept failing. The low-tech solution? A ferret equipped with a cleaning tool named Felicia. Do we want a Hollywood movie about Felicia? Yes, absolutely. READ MORE → NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA FLOAT House The Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans, especially north of Claiborne Avenue, experienced the most significant housing damage after the levee failure caused by Hurricane Katrina. It’s in that neighborhood that a first-of-its-kind house can be found—a house designed to float 12 feet above its foundation, the same height as Katrina floodwaters. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Japan's Hidden Traditions Immerse yourself in the culture of fascinating Sado Island, which through its history has sheltered political exiles, birthed a gold rush, and preserved thriving cultural traditions. A highlight of the trip is a ride in a Tarai Bune, the island's famed "tub boats" that let locals row around the island's turbulent coast. VIEW FULL ITINERARY →