Deep in the digital archives of France’s national library, a collection of letters scratched out in unusual symbols were sitting neglected in a mislabeled folder until a trio of unlikely codebreakers—a computer scientist, a musician, and a physicist—revealed their historic origin, a feat that’s being publicized
Many people struggle to successfully climb Mount Everest. Lhakpa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest 10 times, the most ascents ever by a woman. Unlike the routines of most climbers, who drop into specialized training for months or even years, Lhakpa’s training regimen takes place at a Whole Foods in
Gunnar Lundberg writes: "Thousands of people attempt to "thru-hike" the Appalachian Trail by traversing its entirety in a calendar year. According to historical stats, only one in four will succeed. The trail stretches for 2,193 miles, from northern Georgia to the middle of Maine, snaking its
In the late 1700s small cylinders (called “graves” but later renamed kilograms) were made that represented the mass of one cubic decimeter of water at 4°C as closely as science allowed. Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to France enquiring about adopting the new system, and France answered by sending
Physicists have coaxed particles of light into undergoing opposite transformations simultaneously, like a human turning into a werewolf as the werewolf turns into a human. In carefully engineered circuits, the photons act as if time were flowing in a quantum combination of forward and backward. “For the first time ever,
The late 19th century in Europe saw the emergence of the hazy style of the Impressionists, which privileged mood and light over fine details. While this monumental shift has long been attributed to shifting stylistic preferences, a new study argues that it was also due to a change in the
Janet Vertesi writes about trying to go to Disneyland with her family while remaining anonymous: "Once upon a time, you could just go to Disneyland. You could get tickets at the gates, stand in line for rides, buy food and tchotchkes, even pick up copies of your favorite Disney
Authorities in Western Australia are searching for a radioactive capsule, which they believe fell off a truck while being transported. The capsule is smaller than a penny, while the search zone is a stretch of vast desert highway about as long as California’s coastline. The capsule, a small silver
People often think they know what causes chronic depression. Surveys indicate that more than 80% of the public blames a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. The unbalanced brain chemical in question is serotonin, an important neurotransmitter with fabled “feel-good” effects. But the causes of depression go far beyond serotonin deficiency.
In a recent interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has an estimated audience of 11 million listeners per episode on Spotify, a guest from Alaska presented an explosive discovery: There are tens of thousands of priceless woolly mammoth tusks lying on the river floor. “I’m going to start
When the doctor in Alabama saw what a hornet sting had done to Eli Schlageter, his advice to Eli’s parents was unequivocal: Get an EpiPen. But they were stunned to learn that a single dose of the lifesaving drug, used to treat severe allergic reactions, cost $800 — even with
Earth’s inner core has recently stopped spinning, and may now be reversing the direction of its rotation, according to a surprising new study that probed the deepest reaches of our planet with seismic waves from earthquakes. The results suggest that Earth’s center pauses and reverses direction on a