The Mad Hatterpillar In 1820, Washington Irving popularized the character of the Headless Horseman, a ghost who terrorizes the countryside looking for his missing head. Though the myth reaches farther into time – Irish folklore, for example, features the Dullahan (“dark man”) who carries his head by horseback – Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hallow destined this character […]
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Skeleton Lake In northern India, the world’s 23rd-highest peak – Nanda Devi – is surrounded by an eponymous national park. In Hinduism, Nanda Devi is a manifestation of the utmost goddess of the religion, Parvati. Nanda Devi means “Bliss-Giving Goddess.” Looking at this imperious mountain, one can see why the deity and this rock were paired. Nanda
Spontaneous Hay Bale Combustion Many people declare autumn their favorite season. With its colorful leaves, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin spice, costumes, and crisp weather, what’s not to love? Lurking in the background of many Halloween landscapes are seemingly innocuous rectangular prisms or cylinders. Sitting in fields along country roads, providing seats for tractor rides at pumpkin patches, outlining mazes at fall festivals,
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Vampire Squid From Hell “a very small but very terrible octopus, black as night, with ivory white jaws and blood-red eyes.” — William Beebe We refer to space as the final frontier, but, for large stretches of human history, the oceans presented a challenge beyond our comprehension. These scary bodies perplexed us in two dimensions:
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Candy Mama In 2018, a Belgian dentist named Karel Sabbe ran the length of the Appalachian Trail in 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. His incredible achievement was the fastest-known time to complete the 2,198-mile icon of American footpaths. Sabbe averaged 53 miles per day over intense terrain. That’s more than two marathons every day for
STEVE Have you ever seen STEVE? I’ve never seen STEVE, but I wish I could. At TMAC Headquarters, it’s no secret we’re big fans of aurora borealis (or australis, we don’t discriminate). We’ve studied its causes, we’ve explored some of the biggest solar storms to ever hit Earth, and we’ve even followed them to other planets. Any time a strong batch of
The World’s Oldest Beings https://youtu.be/Pf2vWYe8peM?si=O9QsYImQsq0iQrzG Further Reading and Exploration Bristlecone Pines – National Park Service
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Nevada Has a Glacier As we’ve learned over the past month, Nevada boasts remarkable natural splendor. With huge mountains, spectacular canyons, world-class lakes, and expansive deserts, the state has more beauty than its reputation might suggest. Visiting the Silver State, one leaves with the notion that this area is an unheralded jewel. Following this trend,
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The Loneliest Road in America “It’s totally empty. There are no points of interest. We don’t recommend it. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they’re confident of their survival skills.” — Unnamed AAA Representative U.S. Route 50 stretches over 3,000 miles across the nation, from Sacramento, California, to Ocean City, Maryland. In July
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The Great Basin Most Americans, at some point during primary schooling, learn about an important hydrological boundary known as the Continental Divide. This imaginary line follows the mountains from Alaska, through Canada, down the Rockies, and into Mexico. Technically, the divide does not stop at the edge of North America but splits South America, too. We