The Gorgonizing Lake “They thought I was absolutely insane—some crazy white guy, coming along offering money for people to basically go on a treasure hunt around the lake for dead birds.” –Nick Brandt In Greek mythology, the primeval sea-god Phorcys and the sea-monster Ceto had six daughters, three of whom were named Euryale, Stheno, and […]
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Devil Horn Sunrise After many North Americans were treated to a stunning total solar eclipse in 2024, the partial solar eclipse slated to transpire in spring 2025 might have seemed trivial in comparison. While nothing can approximate the experience of totality, this partial eclipse promised something more than the run-of-the-mill crescent. The 29 March event was visible
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Talking to Aliens With Wheat In 1784, a seven-year-old German child began elementary school. During a mathematics lesson, the child’s teacher asked the class to sum all the integers from 1 to 100. As the other students slogged through the calculations, the young Johann announced the answer to his instructor: 5,050. The teacher was astonished. How
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Gustnadoes, Dust Devils, Fire whirls, Steam Devils, & Waterspouts Most people are familiar with traditional tornadoes, the funnels spawned from supercell thunderstorms that pack the world’s highest wind speeds and can devastate homes or towns. But one type of swirl wasn’t enough for a planet as magnificent and varied as Earth. Vertical vortices come in
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The Fujita Scale The highest wind speeds on Earth come from tornadoes. Needless to say, things that cause the highest wind speeds can produce massive amounts of damage to human-created infrastructure and natural surroundings. Though we have made progress in tornado science over the past century, much about the mechanisms and materializations of the storms remains
Tornadoes One of Earth’s most recognizable natural forms is the funnel of a tornado. The tornado’s form is the mountain silhouette of meteorology, inspiring simultaneous awe and terror. Their sinewy, gorgeous stovepipes demand our attention while filling us with fearful dashes of the unknown. A tornado in Manitoba in 2007 – photo by Justin1569 Also called
Mount Kosciuszko – Australia’s High Point The Outback looms over most foreign conceptions of Australia. This hot, arid expanse covers most of the continent and is filled with few humans and many things that might kill humans. It’s one of the gnarliest stretches on the planet, granting Australia an unforgiving natural reputation. It might seem
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TMAC Guide to Collateral Adjectives If you’ve followed this project long enough, you’ve probably noticed a lot of repetitions. For example, only so many words approximate the meaning of “phenomenon.” And most of them aren’t quite right. “Anomaly,” for example, implies the rarity of “phenomenon” but also connotes something incorrect, in a way. A phenomenon can
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Library Bats In 2013, UNESCO designated the University of Coimbra a World Heritage Site, citing its architecture, culture, tradition, and historical value. This institution lies within the city of the same name, the sixth largest in Portugal. Founded in 1290 in Lisbon and moved to Coimbra in 1537, the university is one of the oldest
American Stonehenge: The Newark Octagon In entering the ancient avenue for the first time, the visitor does not fail to experience a sensation of awe, such as he might feel in passing the portals of an Egyptian temple, or in gazing upon the silent ruins of Petra of the desert. –Ephraim George
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