Pennsylvania Coal Fires
Heat under the street
When a fire gets started in a coal mine, it can be impossible to extinguish. Coal mine fires have been raging in Pennsylvania for over 50 years, with no end in sight.
Legends of Tierra del Fuego
The incredible shrinking southern continent
An untidy chain of islands that forms the southernmost tip of South America confounded explorers and cartographers for centuries. Magellan called it the Land of Fire.
Coffee Decaffeination Processes
Less buzz for your buck
If you need your coffee but can't deal with the caffeine, you may reach for a cup of decaf. But just how did they get the caffeine out of it? The variety of techniques is astonishing.
Athabasca Sand Dunes
Saskatchewan’s shifting sands
In northern Saskatchewan, Canada, the Athabasca Sand Dunes look like a scene straight from the Sahara. Suprise: it's not a desert (look in southeastern British Columbia for those), but the work of ancient glaciers.
The Tactile Dome
Getting the feel of the Exploratorium
San Francisco's Exploratorium, has an exhibit that's more than hands-on. The Tactile Dome is a full-body exploration of the sense of touch, in total darkness.
Holophonic Sound
3D audio with just two speakers
Surround sound gives you immersive audio in a single plane, and requires several speakers to do so. But holophonic sound promises 3D sound that includes the up-down axis, and requires only two speakers altogether.
Becoming a Saint
The curious process of canonization
The process by which Roman Catholicism declares someone to be a saint is full of mystery, especially for non-Catholics. But the path to sainthood is becoming ever easier.
Oxygen Bars
I’ll have an O…Make it a double.
If you want to get rip-roaring sober, head on over to the bar that serves fresh air, in your choice of soothing scents. Is this a healthy alternative or a dangerous fad?
Powder Coating
Paint’s shocking competitor
The brightly colored surfaces of metal objects in your home or office may not have come from paint, but from powder coating, a process based on technology similar to what a photocopier or laser printer uses.
Herrenchiemsee Castle
King Ludwig II’s island retreat
Yet another of the ambitious (and never-finished) castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria is on and island in the Chiemsee lake in Germany. More lavish than Neuschwanstein, it features a dining room with a table that descends into the kitchen below.
New Orleans Cemeteries
Cities of the dead
Caskets buried underground in New Orleans had the nasty habit of floating back up to the surface. So cemeteries were built aboveground, with reusable tombs that act as ovens.
Synesthesia
Making sense of shared senses
People with synesthesia might experience a color when they see a certain number or a taste when they hear a certain sound, among many other overlapping senses.
Bahasa Indonesia
The complex story of a simple language
The official language of Indonesia has been called an artificial language, but that's not quite correct. Nevertheless, it has undergone several significant transformations, some of which were artificially guided.
The Steadicam
Professional film and video camera operators use a complex mechanical device called a steadicam to keep camera movement totally smooth, even when the photographer is walking, running, or climbing stairs.
Today is…
National New England Clam Chowder Day
It's embarrassing that we have to spell out "New England Clam Chowder," which is redundant in the same way as "gin martini."
