Guédelon Castle
History in the making
In a small French village, a team of builders is constructing a brand new castle, using only building materials and techniques that would have been used in the 13th century.
Entomophagy
Insects as food
Don't think of mosquitos, water bugs, crickets, and other bugs as pests. Think of them as food! A surprising number of people do, and not just in remote, undeveloped places. Bug-eating is on its way to becoming mainstream cuisine.
Dream Groups
Intramural introspection
Using a simple process developed by the late Jeremy Taylor, small groups can help their members decode the meanings of their dreams.
Kitty Genovese Syndrome
The problem of the guilty bystander
How could dozens of people witness a brutal murder and do nothing to stop it? The frustrating psychological principle at work has led to countless deaths.
Bossaball
The game with bounce
What do you get if you combine volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, and the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, and play it on an inflatable court with trampolines? It's Bossaball, the latest rage in team sports in Spain and Belgium.
Highgate Cemetery
Toto, I don’t think we’re in London anymore
Off the beaten path in the city of London is a sprawling cemetery that looks like something straight out of a horror movie. Its residents include Karl Marx, Michael Faraday, and (according to some) a vampire.
Daylight Saving Time
Springing forward, grudgingly
We've all gotten into the habit of changing our clocks by an hour twice each year. But does daylight saving time really save anything? What if we did away with it altogether?
Benedictine Oblates
Becoming a modern monk
Some monastic communities, including the Benedictines, also have lay members called oblates, who live in the world as ordinary citizens but still dedicate themselves to the contemplative life of a monk.
Sutro Baths
Diving into the past
On the edge of the ocean in San Francisco are the remains of once-elaborate public baths, featuring six pools that could accommodate 25,000 bathers.
Non-Newtonian Fluids
When liquids behave like solids
Some liquids have the curious property of behaving like solids when stress is applied. Walking across a vat full of cornstarch and water is just the beginning.