February 19, 2021

ANTARCTICA Blood Falls This five-story, blood-red waterfall pours very slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. When geologists first discovered the frozen waterfall in 1911, they thought the red color came from algae, but its true nature turned out to be much more spectacular. READ MORE → The Quest to Save a Rare Parrot What do beekeepers, crossbows, and killer bees have to do with Lear’s macaw, one of the world’s rarest parrots? Well, for one, the bees—whose hives are located in the cliffs in the hot, dry caatinga of Bahia—compete with Lear’s macaw for homes in the small openings in the rocks. These rocks are historic nesting grounds for the parrots, but the invasive bees had for years chased the parrots out of their breeding grounds. Enter the beekeepers and their crossbows for a very delicate, careful operation—one which requires them to rappel down the sides of cliffs.  READ MORE → SPONSORED BY GRADUATE HOTELS Graduate Nashville This Vanderbilt University-adjacent hotel is a feast for the eyes and a veritable wonderland, particularly for art and music lovers. Head up to the 12th-floor rooftop restaurant, White Limozeen, named for country music luminary Dolly Parton’s 29th studio album, and don’t miss the must-capture shot of the 9-foot tall pink Dolly Parton sculpture made of chicken wire. For a truly special stay, spring for the 9 to 5 suite, the over-the-top homage to the beloved singer featuring custom wallpaper and ultra-glam dresses-turned-art hanging on the walls of the cozy sitting room. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA How Ice Cream Can Educate Tapiwa Guzha is a microbiologist turned ice-cream maker in Cape Town, South Africa, who was raised to grow and eat fruit and vegetables straight from his grandmother’s garden. Taking inspiration from the flavors of his childhood, he makes his ice cream with indigenous African ingredients such as blackjack, sorghum, millet, edible clay, hibiscus, baobab, and okra. In doing so, he invites diners into a conversation about what constitutes local food in Cape Town, a city indelibly associated with apartheid and Eurocentrism. READ MORE → Elusive Lizards, Elusive No More You can run, but you can’t hide. Southern alligator lizards, or Elgaria multicarinata, are lizards ubiquitous in California’s Bay Area region, but they’re often slippery subjects to study. So scientists looking to examine the lizards’ relationships to predators and parasites in an urban setting had to get creative. The solution? Simple. Crowdsource photos from citizen scientists. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA EXPERIENCES House of Sarcasm Artist Christine Claringbold and her husband Charles aren’t afraid of color, which is evident in their House of Sarcasm. Here, a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and patterns reigns; every room has its own uniquely rich color scheme with explosive mandalas radiating out from the ceilings and into the rest of the house. Just wait till they turn on the blacklights. GET TICKETS → TOYOURA, JAPAN Koboro Station There are several secluded stations across Japan known as hikyō-eki, which are often located in remote mountainous areas. One of the most notable hikyō-eki is Koboro Station in Hokkaido, located within an 87 yard-long space between two tunnels. Three of its corners are steep wooded cliffs and the other is facing the Uchiura Bay, and since there is no road nearby, it’s almost inaccessible unless by train (or by ship, for that matter). The beach below is also difficult to reach: the only way to get there is by taking the wild, hardly-maintained path down the hill. READ MORE → CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND 'Teleport-o-Matic' Located in a market square, nestled between two red phone boxes is a miniature version of these call boxes. “Teleport-o-Matic” mirrors its brethren in detail, color, and interior design, albeit on a much-reduced scale. It’s one of several other miniature doors around the college town, which began appearing in 2018 and are the work of an anonymous duo that goes by the name Dinky Doors. It has been reported that they crafted these art installations as a way to get the public to think of other worlds, and to make our world a happier place. Transport thyself. READ MORE →