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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
To Track Bull Sharks, First Hit Their...
Bull sharks, says marine biologist Ryan Daly, “like to bite.” Daly and colleagues catch the famously ferocious fish off the coast of southern Mozambique and fit them with transmitters as part of a long-distance tracking project to reveal more about the animals’ habits. The team uses strong lines and circle hooks—harmless to the sharks—baited with striped bonito fish, thick rubber mats to protect the inflatable boat from sharp teeth, and something called tonic immobility: essentially, a shark’s Achilles’ heel....

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Make 19th-Century 'Neapolitan Pizza' for Dessert
Not long ago, if you ordered Neapolitan pizza at an Italian restaurant, you might have ended up with a slice of custard pie. The modern definition for pizza did not appear in an Italian dictionary until 1905. The Italian word pizza, which is likely related to Greek pita and Turkish pide, was originally a general term for flat baked dishes made with flour. You can still see this term in action today in dishes like pizza rustica, a rich...

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Podcast: The Ark of Citrus
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit a collection at the University of California, Riverside, that preserves thousands of varieties of citrus, and the folks working to ensure the future of the beloved fruits. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll...

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Unleashing AI and ChatGPT’s Potential in Your...
Everywhere you turn – whether it’s the news, social media, or industry publications – the buzz surrounding AI and ChatGPT is inescapable. And for good reason. These two innovations are game changers, already making significant waves in the hotel and travel industry. They’re revolutionizing everything from guest communication to marketing and revenue management. In this The post Unleashing AI and ChatGPT’s Potential in Your Hotel appeared first on Revfine.com.

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A Secretive Food Culture Enters the Spotlight
THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2023 EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. I knew I had made a mistake almost instantly. It was Christmas, and my mother and I were preparing jiu hoo char, a stir-fried dish of finely shredded jicama, cabbage, dried cuttlefish, and a host of other ingredients. Because everything must be uniformly diced into even-sized pieces, the preparation can take a few hours—which is why I impatiently...

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For Pop Duo Aly & AJ, Vintage...
Secret Obsessions is Atlas Obscura’s column where we ask wondrous people to take us down a rabbit hole. This edition features chart-topping pop duo Aly & AJ—sisters Aly and AJ Michalka. AJ Michalka knew she had found something special on the antique site Foundwell. With a delicate interlinking strap and circular face, the 1959 Audemars Piguet (AP) Disco Volante was the perfect piece to commemorate a return to music. It was 2017, and she and her sister, Aly Michalka,...

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Welcome to the Little Cuba of the...
Out in a flat plain of reddish sand against a wide blue sky, a group of men set up a baseball field. The home base is made from a green plastic crate propped on a tire, and the players stand in an outfield, stark figures against an expansive horizon. Spanish phrases interlay the general chitchat in Arabic. The batter crouches, ready for the ball, as the pitcher pivots his leg to throw. His ball strikes the ground far ahead...

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How Would You Guide Hotels Trying to...
Question for Our Hotel Marketing Expert Panel How Would You Guide Hotels Trying to Convey Inclusion Via Marketing? Our Marketing Expert Panel Dustin Caromano – Director of Marketing and eCommerce, Première Advisory Group Cory Falter – Partner and Visionary at Lure Agency Linda Bekoe – CEO at APLBC The post How Would You Guide Hotels Trying to Convey Inclusion Via Marketing? appeared first on Revfine.com.

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Norman No. 1 Replica Oil Well in...
Neodesha, Kansas is the birthplace of the great plains oil boom. The replica oil well found in this small Kansas town is a symbol of the discovery that reshaped America. The commercial petroleum industry got its start in 1859 in Pennsylvania, and eventually enterprises were set up across the Appalachian basin. By the 1890s, rumors of glowing gas springs that abounded in southeast Kansas led local citizens to encourage William Mills, a Pennsylvania oil prospector, to come to town...

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The Mammoth Bone in Warsaw, Poland
Just a little walk away from the Royal Castle in Warsaw (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) in the city’s historic center is a church with an odd piece of decoration. During renovations to the church in the late 18th century, workers discovered a mammoth skeleton while digging a new foundation. Ever since a colossal bone from the find has been on display within the historic church.   This church is one of two churches in Warsaw dedicated to St. Anne. The church with...

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El Halconazo Memorial in Mexico City, Mexico
The 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre is almost certainly the best-known case of the country’s government reacting with deadly force to student protests, but it was not the last one. Just three years later on June 10, the Feast of Corpus Christi, a paramilitary group known as Los Halcones (The Hawks) repressed another student protest in Mexico City, with around 120 victims. Due to the date and perpetrators, this would come to be known as both the Halconazo and Corpus Christi...

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Podcast: Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center in Upstate New York, a sprawling museum dedicated to the Seneca-Iroquois Nation. There we learn about “The Creator’s Game”–which evolved into the sport now known as lacrosse–and the Onödowá’ga peoples’ constant fight to be recognized. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes,...

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Heinabergslón in Iceland
Heinabergslón is a glacial lagoon within Vatnajökull National Park. Vatnajökull Park covers approximately 14 percent of Iceland and consists of a stunning mixture of majestic mountains, active volcanoes, massive glaciers, and mesmerizing lagoons.  Heinabergslón Lagoon is fed from the Heinabergsjokull glacier, which is part of the larger Vatnajökull ice cap. When the water melts, it pools in lagoons, such as Heinabergslón. Because of the tumultuous geology of this region, the melting water often carries volcanic dust, making the water...

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New Orleans AIDS Memorial in New Orleans,...
Washington Square park located in the Marigny and bordered by the alluring Frenchmen Street, houses a discreet sculpture along the Dauphine Street fence. The New Orleans AIDS Memorial is a Tim Tate design unveiled in 2008 following an international design competition for the memorial. Local artist Mitchell Gaudet cast and built the piece titled “Guardian’s Wall” featuring 34 glass faces set in an 8-foot tall 35-foot-wide structure. The installation alongside neighboring benches with memorial bricks offers a place to...

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Hotel Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Serbia
Located on the Boulevard of Nikola Tesla, Hotel Yugoslavia is a historic hotel located in Belgrade, the former capital of the state after which the building is named. It holds great cultural and historical significance as one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, holding nostalgic value for many people who remember its role as a luxurious meeting place in Yugoslavia. What’s more, it was visited by a plethora of highly renowned international celebrities, politicians, athletes, and artists since its...

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