Just Plain WEIRD #2
The world’s most isolated inhabited island also has some of the world’s strangest toponyms. Tristan da Cunha, spotted by NASA’s Terra ASTER satellite in 2006. Image: NASA ASTER Volcano Archive, JP. By Frank Jacobs – Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most isolated …
These puzzling holes in the arid valleys of southern Perú tell us there was once a flourishing, sophisticated society here. BBC Future | By William Park – In one of the most arid regions in the world a series of carefully constructed, spiraling …
Most people see weeds as a problem. But one farmer has found they can help make dry, damaged land lush again – not to mention absorb carbon from the atmosphere. By Georgina Kenyon – More than 60 years ago, when he was a …
How a killer flu spread from western Kansas to the world. By Beccy Tanner, The Wichita Eagle, February 19, 2018 – Ground Zero in one of the world’s deadliest influenza pandemics started quietly, inconspicuously. It was winter, 100 years ago. And it was …
By Loz Blain – A single 3D printed, personalized wheel nut per wheel could prevent wheel theft. Ford. – Ford seems to believe theft of fancy alloy wheels is on the rise thanks to improved security systems that make it harder to steal whole …
Knocking on wood may be a holdover from the pagan days of Europe, when tree spirits were believed to bring luck. Saiful bahri 46/Shutterstock.com. – By Rosemary V. Hathaway, Associate Professor of English, West Virginia University – Ever said something like, “I’ve never …
Many common terms in English have unexpected roots. Kelly Grovier explores the origins of seven words coined in art history, including the political meanings of ‘silhouette’ and ‘picturesque’, and how ‘mobile’ became ‘mob’. By Kelly Grovier – Which came first, the chicken or …
As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Sun appears to move through the ancient constellations of the zodiac. Tauʻolunga/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA. By James Kaler, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – I was born a Capricorn (please don’t judge …
By Ben Coxworth – The X tractor is being presented in commemoration of Kubota’s 130th year in business. Kubota. According to agricultural machinery manufacturer Kubota, there are now fewer farmers in Japan, trying to manage increasingly large amounts of land. With that problem …
By Mark Holmes – The most disgusting canned foods make Spam look like a well-aged filet mignon. These weird canned foods make fast food look like fine dining. These strange canned foods make Spaghetti-Os look like $100/plate Italian cuisine. From the weird …
