November 04, 2022

GASTRO OBSCURA  Blood as… Medicine?  In 1679, a Franciscan apothecary recorded the recipe for a supposedly medicinal jam made not of fruit, sugar, and spice, but solely of human blood. This recipe wasn’t a late-Renaissance attempt at black humor, or a telltale sign of some forgotten friar serial killer. It was just one of many techniques people developed, across the globe and over the centuries, for the preparation and consumption of human blood—not to survive desperately lean times but to harness the vital medicinal power they believed it carried.  READ MORE → SHARD QUESTIONS World’s Hardest Wood What’s the world’s hardest wood? Well, first of all, we should probably understand what “hardness” means. When non-wood-people think about the hardness of wood, we might be thinking of strength in general, but it’s more than that. There’s hardness, yes: Hardness is a thing. But there’s also “compressive strength perpendicular to grain,” the same for “parallel to grain,” modulus of rupture, torsion strength, fatigue, toughness, rolling shear strength, and more. So what should we care about? READ MORE → TILLAMOOK, OREGON Tillamook Creamery Cheese cubes hang from the ceiling in this creamery’s newly renovated Visitors Center, which also features such memorabilia as a 1927 butter churner and a stamp used to authenticate packaged blocks as pure Tillamook cheese. Each day, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) processes one million pounds of milk and churns out at least 170,000 pounds of cheese. Now that’s some serious cheddar. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY LOS ANGELES TOURISM L.A.’s Great Outdoors With its beautiful terrain, perpetual sunshine, and temperate climate, Los Angeles is the perfect place to picnic, hike, garden, and meditate all year round. From the location that served as Batman’s secret hideout in the 1960s television series to a secluded private garden inspired by the Wizard of Oz, here are nine places that will have you lacing up your hiking boots. Don’t forget the sunscreen! LEARN MORE → FROM LEGEND TO MASCOT The Transformation of Pamola The weather at the top of Katahdin–Maine’s tallest mountain at around 5,267 feet, and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail–is unpredictable even on the most beautiful days. Locals who spent time on the mountain have a simple explanation for the capricious conditions: It’s Pamola, the guardian of Katahdin. Legends describe Pamola as hideous and birdlike, with a violent temperament. Today, though, the Penboscot’s protective spirit has become an icon for summiters of Katahdin—the very people it once frightened away. READ MORE → PINE BUSH, NEW YORK Ellenville Fault Ice Caves Located high on the Shawangunk Ridge, the Ellenville Fault Ice Caves are the region’s natural air conditioner. Even in the dog days of summer, the ice caves at Sam’s Point are home to a thick layer of ice. The ice caves are located within the Ellenville Fault, which is the largest known exposed fault system in the United States. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Trace the History of Scent From the role of incense in worship to today’s global perfume trade, the intentional combination of aromatics has been used as a tool for communication and commerce since some of the earliest moments of recorded human history. In this course led by Saskia Wilson-Brown, we’ll trace the relationship between scent and culture through the past, present, and future. ENROLL TODAY → WILDLIFE RESURGENCE Back From the Dead For more than 250,000 years, the auroch—massive wild cattle that stood six feet tall and weighed more than 3,000 pounds—roamed Eurasia and North Africa. Like so many of Europe’s megafauna, the aurochs met their end at the hands of humans. Their horns were such coveted hunting trophies that by the Middle Ages, their numbers had already fallen. The species officially went extinct in 1627, when the last cow died in Poland. But for more than a decade now, scientists have been seeking to bring back this keystone species—and they’re getting close. READ MORE → SKIBBEREEN, IRELAND Irish Sky Garden The Irish Sky Garden’s name describes what to expect fairly well, but seeing this patch of nature suspended in the air, juxtaposed against the clear blue sky, is far more whimsical and mesmerizing than visitors expect. Designed by American James Turrell, this magical knoll is the perfect symbol for the Emerald Isle, and it’s an unparalleled piece of public art. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Landscapes and Memories of Yugoslavia Experience a dramatic road trip filled with history and heritage as you travel across Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Visit fortresses and skyscrapers, ruined factories, and extraordinary works of Modernist architecture, all while paying particular attention to the monuments of Yugoslavia – raised to commemorate the deeds of anti-fascist partisans and revolutionaries or to mark places of historic trauma – and taking an organic and pluralist approach to the complicated history of the region. BOOK NOW →