STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish artist is about to have the dream of a lifetime fulfilled: a little red model house he created will be launched into space this week and, if all goes according to plan, put on the surface of the moon. The Moonhouse, the size of a big hand, will hitch a ride to the moon on a lunar lander operated by the Japanese company ispace. It’s set for takeoff on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from…
Nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside, Deddington Castle is a fascinating remnant of medieval England. This motte-and-bailey castle, originally built in the 11th century, may no longer have its towering stone walls, but its imposing earthworks remain remarkably intact, offering a vivid glimpse into its storied past. As you walk among the grassy mounds and deep ditches, it’s easy to imagine knights and nobles bustling about, strategizing within the castle’s wooden palisades. The site’s tranquility today belies the tumultuous history……
It’s a crisp Saturday morning on December 11, 1926, when a young woman walks into Farmers National Bank in the small town of Buda, about 15 miles south of Austin, Texas. Posing as a reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise, the five-foot-two woman with auburn hair and brown eyes moves confidently around the building, questioning residents about recent crop conditions. After gaining the trust of the two bank tellers, the woman slips behind the counter to use the typewriter. One……
Hidden within the dense forests of Yangmingshan National Park is the “Mountain Home,” a hiker’s lodge built in 1938 by the Japanese government. Indeed, few realize the park’s origins date back to the Japanese colonial era, when it was established as Daiton Kokuritsu Kōen in 1937. Intended as a rest stop for trekkers, the wooden lodge spanned approximately 18 pings (about 60 square meters) and featured a dining hall, restroom facilities, and even a shop—remarkably luxurious for its time. Due……
This piece was originally published in High Country News and appears here as part of our Climate Desk collaboration. In September 2020, as crews outside Yosemite National Park worked to contain the oncoming Creek Fire and evacuate those in its path, archaeologist Jennie Leonard was racing to protect something that couldn’t leave: the giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove. Leonard and her fellow resource advisors—who protect species, cultural items, and other resources from wildfire and fire-suppression activities—covered the bases……
This article is adapted from the January 11, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. Last week, in a store in Bologna, Italy, I spotted something interesting. Outside on the street, Fiat cars were zipping by. In front of me, a box of chocolates also sported a Fiat logo. These were no recent brand tie-in. In 1911, the car company held a contest between Italy’s chocolate companies, with the goal of releasing a……
MIT physicists and colleagues have for the first time measured the geometry, or shape, of electrons in solids at the quantum level. Scientists have long known how to measure the energies and velocities of electrons in crystalline materials, but until now, those systems’ quantum geometry could only be inferred theoretically, or sometimes not at all. The work, reported in the Nov. 25 issue of Nature Physics, “opens new avenues for understanding and manipulating the quantum properties of materials,” says……
Vijay Gadepally, a senior staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, leads a number of projects at the Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center (LLSC) to make computing platforms, and the artificial intelligence systems that run on them, more efficient. Here, Gadepally discusses the increasing use of generative AI in everyday tools, its hidden environmental impact, and some of the ways that Lincoln Laboratory and the greater AI community can reduce emissions for a greener future. Q: What trends are you seeing……
With a capacity of 1,573 gallons, the world’s largest cedar bucket resides in the historically reproduced village of Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The bucket was originally built in 1887 as a promotional exhibit by the Tennessee Red Cedar Woodworks Company, and traveled to world’s fairs—including the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Due to a 2005 fire, the bucket was partially destroyed. In 2011, it was rebuilt, and today it stands over 70 inches tall with a 6-foot-diameter base….
This tiny church is an historic highlight in an otherwise non-descript northeast English village. Built in the last quarter of the 7th century, and a place of worship ever since, it’s one of only three churches in the whole country to survive intact from the Anglo-Saxon period. Stones were carried a few miles from the abandoned Vinovia Roman fort and used in the church’s construction. The architecture reflects the skills of the contemporary builders and the need for defense……
Hidden away in a rural corner of Japan, this 100-foot-tall “dragon” comes complete with a gaping, toothy maw. What looks like the remnant of some long-lost theme park is in fact a playground for very lucky kids. This play area is so over the top, it’s the sort of thing that seems like it could only arise from the creative accounting department of a rural municipality department that just has to spend their budget by year end. The views from……
Adorning the lobbies of the historic Mountain States Telephone Building in Denver, Colorado, are the Art Deco murals painted by acclaimed Colorado muralist Allen Tupper True. Created between 1927 and 1929, they depict the history of communications in the West—and the workers who made it possible. The Mountain States Telephone Building is considered to be one of the last Bell System Palaces. It is styled in the Gothic Revival style. More of True’s murals can be found throughout Denver, including at……
After making some progress battling wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters are preparing for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames Monday. Here’s the latest: Beyoncé donates $2.5 million to Los Angeles-area wildfire relief Beyoncé has contributed $2.5 million to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD. The announcement was posted on the BeyGOOD foundation Instagram account…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Weaker winds and intense firefighting efforts over the weekend boosted containment of fires burning in and around Los Angeles, but the effects of the blazes on the entertainment world continue. Several projects and awards shows have been delayed, with the Producers Guild opting not to announce its nominations Sunday due to ongoing effects of the fire. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also announced she would not launch a Netflix lifestyles program until March. Celebrities and…
One supermassive black hole has kept astronomers glued to their scopes for the last several years. First came a surprise disappearance, and now, a precarious spinning act. The black hole in question is 1ES 1927+654, which is about as massive as a million suns and sits in a galaxy that is 270 million light-years away. In 2018, astronomers at MIT and elsewhere observed that the black hole’s corona — a cloud of whirling, white-hot plasma — suddenly disappeared, before reassembling……
