December 26, 2022 - One astronomical object could be the best resource for future space colonies

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One astronomical object could be the best resource for future space colonies The Moon and Mars could be acceptable destinations, but nearby asteroids could also become homes, as a recent study shows. The stars call to us, as Carl Sagan once said. Given the human drive to explore our world and expand our reach, it is likely only a matter of time before we begin to build our homes in the Solar System. The Moon and Mars could be acceptable destinations, but nearby asteroids could also become homes, as a recent study shows. Continued here

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Seventy-five Years After Indian Partition, Who Owns the Narrative? Before it was an edict, and a death sentence, it was a rumor. To many, it must have seemed improbable; I imagine my grandmother, buying her vegetables at the market, settling her baby on her hip, craning to hear the news—a border, where? Two borders, to be exact. On the eve of their departure, in 1947, after more than three hundred years on the subcontinent, the British sliced the land into a Hindu-majority India flanked by a Muslim-majority West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), a thousand miles apart. The boundaries were drawn up in five weeks by an English barrister who had famously never before been east of Paris; he flew home directly afterward and burned his papers. The slash of his pen is known as Partition. A tidy word, "Partition." Amid what the Punjabis call the raula—the "uproar"—the region convulsed with violence, Hindus and Sikhs on one side, Muslims on the other. Entire villages were massacred. Neighbors turned on each other. It's estimated that a million people were killed, and that seventy-five thousand women and girls were abducted and raped, a third of them under the age of twelve. Millions of refugees fled in one of the largest and most rapid migrations in history. "Blood trains" crisscrossed the fresh border, carrying silent cargo—passengers slaughtered during the journey. Cities transformed into open-air refugee camps, like the one in Delhi to which my grandmother escaped in the night, alone with her children, feeding the baby opium, the story goes, so he would not cry. Bhisham Sahni's "Tamas," a 1973 Hindi novel set in that period, brings such a camp to life. The exhausted refugees are greeted by a functionary of the Relief Committee with the unpropitious nickname Statistics Babu. "I want figures, only figures, nothing but figures," he instructs. The refugees mill around him, unhearing. They weep, stare blankly. They repeat, in exasperating detail, every step of their journeys. "Why don't you understand?" Statistics Babu pleads. "I am not here to listen to the whole 'Ramayana.' Give me figures—how many dead, how many wounded, how much loss of property and goods. That is all." Continued here

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Graveyard of dead Russian missiles evidence of massive destruction in Ukraine There is a strange new graveyard in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv that serves as a testament to the destruction caused by war. The graveyard, which holds more than a thousand dead Russian rockets, is aimed to help prosecutors invoke international criminal law against Russian troops, according to multiple media reports on Saturday.  Continued here

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35 years later, Final Fantasy's love of Shakespeare is its secret to success William Shakespeare wasn’t talking about video games in this line from As You Like It, as he wasn’t a big gamer (to be fair he died in 1616). Yet one of gaming’s most renowned franchises shares more in common with the Bard than one might initially think. As an inherently immersive medium, gaming invites easy comparisons to the theater, and nowhere is this clearer than in the Final Fantasy franchise. Looking back over 35 years of beloved worlds, characters, and stories brings to light how the franchise and the Shakespearean canon both adhere to similar methods of storytelling — and why Final Fantasy is that much more beloved for leaning into the theatrical. Continued here

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Can insects feel pain? Here’s why we need to talk about bug rights At least a trillion insects are killed annually for food and animal feed. Common slaughter methods include extreme heat and cold, often preceded by starvation. By comparison, “only” around 79 billion mammals and bird livestock are slaughtered annually. Scholars have long recognized that the survival value of pain means many animals experience it, supposedly with the exception of insects. But we surveyed more than 300 scientific studies and found evidence that at least some insects feel pain. Other insects, meanwhile, haven’t been studied in enough detail yet. Continued here

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Breakthrough: World's first urine test for liver cancer developed in Scotland Diagnosing cancer today is usually done via surgery, ultrasound scans, or blood tests. All of these methods are invasive and require a visit to a hospital or surgery. This may soon change. A team of researchers at the Cancer Research U.K. Beatson Institute in Glasgow, Scotland, have conceived of a biomarker that may make urine tests for liver cancer possible, according to a report by The Herald published on Friday. Continued here

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One of Earth’s most powerful observatories could detect warp drives In 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced that they had made the first confirmed detection of gravitational waves (GWs). This discovery confirmed a prediction made a century before by Einstein and his Theory of General Relativity and opened the door to a whole new field of astrophysical research. By studying the waves caused by the merger of massive objects, scientists could probe the interior of neutron stars, detect dark matter, and discover new particles around supermassive black holes (SMBHs). According to new research led by the Advanced Propulsion Laboratory at Applied Physics (APL-AP), GWs could also be used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). As they state in their paper, LIGO and other observatories (like Virgo and KAGRA) have the potential to look for GWs created by Rapid And/or Massive Accelerating spacecraft (RAMAcraft). By combining the power of these and next-generation observatories, we could create a RAMAcraft Detection And Ranging (RAMADAR) system that could probe all the stars in the Milky Way (100 to 200 billion) for signs of warp-drive-like signatures. Continued here

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A Dune-inspired spacecraft could finally reveal what dark matter is made of This nimble satellite will try to track down one of the most elusive and mysterious substances in the universe: dark matter. The European Space Agency recently announced a new mission of its science program: a small telescope orbiting the Earth dubbed Arrakhis. But although the sci-fi novel Dune inspires its name, it will not be looking for sandworms or “spice” on a desert planet. Continued here

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5 great immersive experiences you can have this summer It conjures up different things for different people. For some, it’s a simple feeling you get hitting the beach, the pool or even the floatation tank. For others, it’s immersion through imagination – through books, theatre, exhibitions or the cinema. Continued here

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Why some tech CEOs are rooting for Elon Musk After a long weekend away, today let’s talk about the largely positive reception that Elon Musk’s radical remaking of Twitter is getting from tech CEOs — and whether those views are likely to change if the fight that Musk is picking with Apple erodes even more value from his $44 billion purchase. Continued here

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What is 'Shrinkflation'? If it feels like there are fewer chips in your Doritos bag these days, you're not imagining things. There are, and it's all thanks to a pesky and enduring business practice known as "shrinkflation." Here's everything you need to know: When the cost of doing business goes up, one way companies compensate is by shrinking package and product sizes without actually lowering prices — meaning consumers are paying the same or more but getting less. It's a phenomenon dubbed "shrinkflation," and it's essentially "the inflation you're not supposed to see," per The Associated Press. While the practice is usually common in times of rising prices, "we happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment," shrinkflation expert Edgar Dworsky told AP, as manufacturers work to "balance" the increased costs of gas, labor, and supplies against sales and profit, he added in a separate conversation with The New York Times. Continued here

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These easy, under-$30 upgrades make a surprisingly huge difference around your home Your home is your castle, and even the most beloved castles need a facelift from time to time. If you’re dreaming of remodeling your home but don’t want to spend a ton of money, you’re not alone. In fact, there are plenty of ways you can improve your home without breaking the bank. Breathe some new life into your space with these easy, under-$30 upgrades that make a surprisingly huge difference around your house. With solutions as simple as treating yourself to an elegant new duvet cover that brightens up a bedroom to installing a smart doorbell that makes you feel like a tech wizard, this list has you covered. Continued here

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'Glass Onion' can't figure out what kind of pandemic movie it is The Covid-19 pandemic affected every industry, but the movie business was hit especially hard. When there’s an airborne illness ruining and ending people’s lives, audiences aren’t exactly scrambling to voluntarily sit in a communal room with strangers. Movies were delayed, canceled, or sent to streaming. Now in 2022, there’s a big push for a return to the theaters, even though Covid isn’t eradicated yet. While before theatrical movies were pushed to streaming, we are now seeing streaming movies get a shot in theaters. A perfect example of this is Glass Onion, Netflix’s follow-up to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. But how does the shockingly modern whodunit handle the pandemic — and how could it be handled better? Continued here

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The best part of 'Avatar 2' borrows a trick from 'Game of Thrones' James Cameron promised that the Avatar franchise would become Disney’s version of The Sopranos, starting with the highly-anticipated sequel. The director defended the three-hour runtime throughout Avatar 2’s press tour, noting that audiences needed a lot of time to get to know the Sullys, who have grown from two to six family members. Their story wouldn’t be a fairytale, but rather a dark and emotional family saga. Continued here

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Starling Bank's new virtual cards are what every bank needs UK-based Starling Bank is introducing new virtual debit cards this week that will help customers manage spending, saving, and even security free of charge. These new virtual cards will be linked to a main Starling bank account and use a separate savings space balance, but they’ll have a unique card number, CVV, and expiry date. That makes them perfect for bundling together payments and tracking how much you’re spending, or using separate cards for security purposes. Continued here

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The 10 best indie games of 2022, ranked Bigger isn’t always better, and 2022’s indie games prove it. While there were plenty of incredible AAA stunners this year, like Elden Ring and God of Wår Ragnarok, indies continue to deliver some of the best experiences in the medium. From nostalgic adventures and fuzzy protagonists to philosophical narratives and games that broke the mold of interactive entertainment entirely, this year's indie releases constantly surprised and delighted. They are no longer curiosities on the sidelines but unique experiences that the industry is paying more attention to. Here are the ten best indie games of 2022. Continued here

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What are mud volcanoes? The mysterious natural phenomenon explained Rice farmers living in Sidoarjo Regency, Indonesia, awoke to a strange sight on May 29, 2006. The ground had ruptured overnight and was spewing out steam. In the following weeks, water, boiling-hot mud, and natural gas were added to the mixture. When the eruption intensified, mud started to spread over the fields. Alarmed residents evacuated, hoping to wait out the eruption safely. Continued here

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What Can DAOs Do For You? Terence Trouillot speaks to Ruth Catlow, Rhea Myers, Penny Rafferty and Bhavik Singh on how DAOs can support artists, create a more equitable art world and promote social play within the digital sphere  Blockchain technology has quickly become a prodigious force in the art world, most notably with the seismic rise of NFTs in the market sector, but more recently in the way artists use Web 3.0 innovations to self-organize such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). But what are DAOs exactly and how do they function within the realm of artistic production and collective practices? As Rhea Myers succinctly states in this roundtable discussion on the subject: ‘DAOs are a collaboration between code, capital and community: they are the blockchain equivalent of a charitable trust.’ But as we learn from this conversation between practitioners in the field of art and tech, DAOs are much more malleable and experimental by nature, offering new paradigms for how we might distribute wealth and resources to the artists, or how museums might acquire new works of art. This roundtable looks closely at what DAOs can do for the art world. Continued here

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Millets and the journey of the grain in Indian culinary history Millets may be in news today for PM Modi’s suggestion that the grain should be used as a staple in mid-day meals. But only 50 years ago, millets were among the most widely grown staples in India. The history of millet goes back as early as 3500-2000BC in the Korean peninsula. In India, food history tracks back the mention of millets to some of the oldest Yajurveda texts.   Continued here

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The 4 best over-ear headphones with ANC released in 2022 If you spend your days in coffee shops or find yourself on an airplane often, the most reliable piece of gear you can invest in is a good pair of headphones with active noise cancellation. Whether it’s for long-lasting comfort or the need for the richest possible sound quality, over-ear headphones still have plenty of appeal over wireless earbuds. Similar to wireless earbuds without ANC, 2022 saw a contraction in the number of good ANC over-ear headphones. To be fair: many of the best ones from last year still excel. That being said, there were still some noteworthy new releases. Continued here

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Sepsis is one of the most expensive medical conditions in the world - Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising from the body’s overreactive response against an infection, leading it to injure its own tissues and organs. The first known reference to “sepsis” dates back more than 2,700 years, when the Greek poet Homer used it as a derivative of the word “sepo,” meaning “I rot.” Despite dramatic improvements in understanding the immunological mechanisms behind sepsis, it still remains a major medical concern, affecting 750,000 people in the U.S. and nearly 50 million people globally each year. Sepsis accounted for 11 million deaths worldwide in 2017, and is the most expensive medical condition in the U.S., costing over tens of billions of dollars annually. Continued here

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25 years ago, the best werewolf thriller got a franchise-killing sequel Following An American Werewolf in London was always going to be a task of monstrous proportions. John Landis’ 1981 hit was that rare horror comedy that actually pulled off both the horror and the comedy, put makeup on the Oscars map, and developed the kind of cult status that only the foolhardy would dare mess with. Yet that didn’t stop more than a dozen screenwriters and directors, including Landis himself, from giving it a go. Stuck in development hell for much of the ‘90s, An American Werewolf in Paris finally made it into theaters 16 years after the original. That explains why instead of two clean-cut, middle-class hikers, the film’s travelers are a trio of thrill-seeking bros who seem to have escaped from MTV’s Spring Break. Vince Vieluf’s Brad and Phil Buckman’s Chris, in particular, are so obnoxious with their opening scene talk of “sex points” that you immediately start praying for them to get mauled by a wild-eyed lycanthrope. Continued here

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28 years later, Final Fantasy's most dramatic twist is still its most profound By the time you reach the Floating Continent in Final Fantasy VI, you’d be forgiven for thinking this story was just about to reach its dramatic conclusion. The evil dog-man Emperor Gestahl has just laid his genocidal plans for the Esper World on the table, killed his dissenting subordinate General Leo, and stolen the three statues that control the balance of magical power in the world. It’s about to hit the fan in a serious way. At this point, it seems there’s nothing left to do but put a bloody end to Gestahl. And that’s the basic story of pretty much every RPG ever: Stop the baddie’s plan for ultimate dominance before it’s too late. Right? Continued here

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Podcast: Pricilla's Homecoming In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit the ruins of a slave castle off the coast of Sierra Leone to tell the story of Thomalind Polite, an American woman who learned that she was descended from a girl who was taken as a slave 250 years ago, at the age of 10. 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 meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us daily, Monday through Thursday, to explore a new wonder with cofounder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters. Continued here

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What Will Manifesta 14 Bring to the Balkans? Five curators and artists consider what the arrival of the nomadic biennial could offer the region From its very first edition in Rotterdam in 1996, Manifesta has been dedicated to the principle of – as its website currently attests – ‘keep[ing] its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production’. This year, the nomadic biennial will take place in Prishtina in Kosovo, a country whose independence is currently recognized by only 102 of 193 of the member states of the United Nations – the result of a long-running territorial dispute with neighbouring Serbia. It is not the first time that Manifesta has waded into tense geo-political waters. In 2006, Manifesta 6 was due to take place in the contested city of Nicosia in Cyprus but was cancelled by the Greek-Cypriot local authority after alleged breaches of contract by its curators, who, under the auspices of the biennial, had wanted to locate one of the departments of a temporary art school in north Nicosia, the section of the city occupied by the Turkish military since 1974. Now, 30 years after the dissolution of Yugoslavia – a political shift that created Kosovo, Serbia and five other new states – Manifesta will again set up camp in a contested European territory. This roundtable brings together curators, artists and writers from across the Western Balkans to consider the potential benefits and problems that the arrival of Manifesta could bring to the region. Continued here

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Our Favorite Environment Stories of 2022 At Atlas Obscura, we believe in wonder. Curiosity, too. They’re two of the better angels of our nature as a species. For thousands of years, human wonder and curiosity led our ancestors to explore, innovate, experiment, and adapt. And we need those traits now more than ever. In a year when headlines about the ongoing climate crisis could be dire and overwhelming, we took heart in meeting people around the world who are tackling these challenges with creativity, goodwill, and determination. Some of the people who inspired us are scientists who have dedicated decades to understanding—and countering—rapidly changing conditions across our planet. Others are farmers, entrepreneurs, or engineers who focus their energies locally. All of them saw a problem and decided to pursue solutions—from embracing ancient traditions to moving mountains (or at least really big monuments). Continued here

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One secret to cheap travel? Pet sitting. She and her husband organized all their pet-sits through an app, so they asked me to sign up for it. It cost $100, and though I felt like this was just a casual arrangement between buddies, I would save at least $3,000 over the two months, so I complied without complaint. That small request, that $100 investment, that one app would revive and reinflate my life so dramatically over the next half a year that, at the end, I would mark the era with a tattoo. Continued here

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We're getting really good at making alcohol-free beer and wine. Here's how it's done Drinking alcohol has been part of Australian culture for at least 240 years, and perhaps millennia prior. In recent years, however, there’s been a growing trend towards opting for low- and no-alcohol versions of traditional drinks. Just check out the soft drink aisle of your supermarket if you need proof. Continued here

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Surgery in Space: NASA tests advanced medical technology for the Moon and beyond University of Louisville, Orbital Medicine, and Purdue University researchers have been developing technology that is intended to regulate and restrict bleeding and ease surgery in space. The Flight Opportunities program at NASA is helping to advance the innovation of space-based medical advancements, according to an updated press release by the U.S. Space Agency on Tuesday.  Continued here

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The Estonian Island Where Christmas Trees Become Soda Every holiday season, a giant Christmas tree stands in the center square of Kuressaare, a town of about 13,000 people on the densely-forested Estonian island of Saaremaa. Come January, that mighty spruce topples over and lands in the cocktails of drinkers from Romania to France. This second life is all part of a local distillery’s mission to transform Northern European Christmas trees into tonics. The eco-friendly project was started by Estonian couple Maarit Pöör and Tarmo Virki. Pöör, an art teacher, and Virki, a journalist and publicist, created Estonic Soda in 2019, three years after they founded Lahhentagge Distillery in Saaremaa. The soda, which comes in three flavors—spruce, juniper and Pärnu Suvi (“Pärnu summer,” referencing the city that’s considered the “summer capital of Estonia”)—uses extracts from pulped needles and branches of spruce or silver fir Christmas trees, as well from juniper trees, which are plentiful in Saaremaa. Continued here

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You can say you wish King Charles would die, but you can't urinate on your back tyre: 8 common myths about Australian law We’ve all been at a work or family gathering when someone has offered a seemingly authoritative statement about the way the law operates. Without some knowledge of the field of law, listeners may simply nod their heads sagely and tut-tut about the perceived inadequacies and injustices that have been revealed. Continued here

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Holiday hunt: Australian scientist seeks out missing Christmas beetles Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Dr. Tanya Latty has launched the "Christmas beetle count project" in Australia, according to a report by the BBC published on Thursday. The festive insects that once roamed all over the country have been missing as of late, probably due to the destruction of their natural habitats. Continued here

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These were the video games that defined 2022 2022 was the kind of year where it was easy to forget just how much happened. This is especially true when it comes to video games, with the industry hit with so many twists and turns that it’s tough to keep track. There’s the ongoing labor movement, the massive consolidation of studios and publishers, the continued rise of subscription services, the blurring line between games and other entertainment, and the occasional leak of the next big blockbuster. Continued here

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'Avengers: Kang Dynasty' could be Marvel’s most unpredictable movie yet Since his first appearance, Kang the Conqueror has consistently been one of the greatest threats the Avengers have ever faced, are facing, and will face. He is constant. And in 2023, he makes his official debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we got a tease of the Multiverse Saga’s big bad in Loki, with Jonathan Majors playing a Kang variant named He Who Remains, we’ll finally the villain in his full glory in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. After that, he’ll take center stage in the next Avengers films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and probably in the follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, too. Continued here

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15 years ago, Paul Thomas Anderson made the greatest American epic of the century — and created a classic meme Few living filmmakers have reached the same level of esteem as Paul Thomas Anderson. Over the course of his career, he’s graduated from a promising young Hollywood talent to a living legend. Even his more divisive films, like 2014’s Inherent Vice and 2021’s Licorice Pizza, are capable of generating the kind of passionate cinephile debate that most directors can only dream of. Nowadays, the release of a new Anderson film is treated as an event. In that sense, Anderson shares the same rarified air occupied by only a handful of his peers, including Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Bong Joon-ho. Like those filmmakers, it’s also easy to identify the titles from Anderson’s filmography that elevated him above the traditional acclaim that so many other talented filmmakers receive. 1997’s Boogie Nights, for instance, helped cement Anderson as a generational talent. Continued here

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How a wildlife photographer engineered a thriving ecosystem in his backyard Wildlife photographer Stefano Ianiro built a pond in his backyard that quickly became so much more than just a body of water. In the beginning, it was designed just for photography purposes. However, Ianiro soon noticed that many varied species were visiting the pond. It was part of a thriving ecosystem that nurtured and supported wildlife. Continued here

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Scientists have debunked a popular corporate greenwashing tactic Many companies promising “net-zero” emissions to protect the climate are relying on vast swaths of forests and what are known as carbon offsets to meet that goal. On paper, carbon offsets appear to balance out a company’s carbon emissions: The company pays to protect trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air. The company can then claim the absorbed carbon dioxide as an offset that reduces its net impact on the climate. Continued here

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'Avatar 2' can't overcome James Cameron's worst sin Paint me like one of James Cameron’s blue girls. The long-legged inhabitants of Pandora have some minor aesthetic differences in the color of their eyes and the shape of their tails depending on the biome they occupy, but there is one glaring constant: Every single Pandoran lady is sexualized. There’s nothing inherently wrong with attractive aliens. From The Fifth Element’s Leelo to Futurama’s Leela, some of pop culture’s favorite space beings are bona fide hotties. And they aren’t all just cosmo chicks, either — see the fandoms surrounding Anakin Skywalker, Clark Kent, and Spock for proof. Creators understand that they sometimes need to give viewers someone to secretly (or not so secretly) pine for. Sexiness is part of the secret sauce to making an über-popular sci-fi franchise. Continued here

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Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster, and the Year That Live Music Broke The nightmarish experience Taylor Swift fans went through earlier this year has sparked debate over monopolies and how tickets are sold. But it’s more than just Swift’s upcoming tour—the entire concert industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Continued here

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Vladimir Putin's technophobia out of the fear of espionage could cost him Ukraine war Russia's president Vladimir Putin has long avoided the internet and smartphones due to concerns of cyber espionage. The president refuses to go online, fearing digital surveillance, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday, citing U.S. and Russian official sources.  Continued here

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The best movies and TV of 2022, picked for you by NPR critics Clockwise from top left: The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Only Murders in the Building, Nope, This Is Going to Hurt and The Dropout Searchlight Pictures, A24, Hulu, Universal Studios, AMC Networks, Hulu hide caption Continued here

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This common virus increases your risk of stroke — and scientists might finally know why People with shingles have an approximately 80 percent higher risk of stroke than those without the disease. More than 90 percent of the world’s population has the virus that causes chickenpox lying dormant in their nervous system. Most people contract the varicella-zoster virus, or VZV, when they get chickenpox as children. For around a third of these people, this same virus will reactivate years later and cause shingles, also called herpes zoster. Continued here

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Is there a 'right to disobey'? From the Vietnam War to today's climate protests One of the first moves of the newly elected Whitlam Labour government in December 1972 was to free seven men imprisoned for their beliefs. Their crime had been refusal to comply with the National Service Act, a so-called “lottery of death” that sent some 15,300 young Australians to fight in Vietnam. Two hundred of them never came home. The issue of national service – often dubbed “the draft” following American vernacular – was perhaps the most powerful in the anti-war movement’s arsenal. “Draft resisters” mobilised public sentiment with their heroic stands, respectable mothers campaigned to “Save our Sons” and, as I explore in a newly published book chapter, the Australian wing of Amnesty International classed these men as “prisoners of conscience”. Continued here

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Robert Burns Memorial Shelter Should one find themselves along the coastal walk of Prestonpans, a quaint seaside village a few miles southeast of Edinburgh, they may encounter a small stone structure consisting of two windows and a door, all of which are barred. On closer inspection, they will be treated to a colorful painting consisting of all manner of fantastical and bizarre imagery. Though this coastal town is known for its murals. This work was authorized by a unique society blending together the town’s reputation and one of the country’s most revered writers. Continued here

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Peebles Mural Project This town has a small, yet inviting community filled with charm. High Street is the main artery of this vibrant village with its vast array of retail shops, cafes, and galleries. Off of this bustling thoroughfare are a series of alleyways and narrow streets. To the uninitiated, they conceal some of the town’s backstory and hidden treasures. Pennels Close is just one fine example of this phenomenon. This small passage was named after a shopkeeper by the name of George Pennel, who for several generations, supplied the town and visitors with bicycles. What makes this backstreet so unique is that it contains a brightly covered panel that illustrates the town’s history. It starts with the village’s founding in the 12th century by King David on the right, working its way across to a futuristic family enjoying the many sites on the High Street. Continued here

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Researchers say time is an illusion. So why are we all obsessed with it? It's never been easier to know what time it is. NIST broadcasts the time to points across the country. It's fed through computer networks and cell phone towers to our personal gadgets, which tick in perfect synchrony. Humanity's ever-improving agreement on the time smooths communication, transportation, and lubricates our economy. Continued here

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How a Black-Jewish Historian Crafts a Hanukkah Meal Legend has it that in the second century B.C., just after Jewish rebels reclaimed their temple from Greek-Syrian oppressors in Jerusalem, a miniscule amount of olive oil kept the temple’s sacred flame burning for eight days until they could find more fuel. Today, Jews across the world commemorate this miracle on the winter holiday of Hanukkah by heating up oil to fry myriad foods, each reflecting the cook’s heritage, such as Sephardic bumuelos or Ashkenazi latkes. Michael Twitty, a Black-Jewish culinary historian, likes to add dishes such as Louisiana-style beignets and West African akara, black-eyed pea fritters, to his Hanukkah menu. For him, the fried foods eaten during the festival of light are a way to teach people about the deep connections between the Jewish and African diasporas. Continued here

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Netflix has a live-action anime problem — but can it finally succeed? Netflix is trying its hand yet again with live-action anime: this time, the streamer is sending its subscribers to the top Hero Academy in Japan, U.A. High School, along with its “quirky” powered-up students. The beloved sci-fi shōnen manga and anime, My Hero Academia, will join the ranks of teen live-action superhero shows like Gen V, Ms. Marvel, and Stargirl on Netflix. Other titles queued up on Netflix’s live-action anime slate include a Yu Yu Hakusho series, a Sword Art Online series, a One Piece series, and a Pokémon series, along with an Avatar: The Last Airbender series. Continued here

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'A really tough transition': In Aaron Rodgers' offense 'it's hard for the young guys' After Week 9, when Green Bay lost at Detroit after putting up only nine points, a question began to take shape: Why is it so hard to be a rookie wide receiver in an Aaron Rodgers offense? Watson and fellow rookie Romeo Doubs (second- and fourth-round picks, respectively) had struggled to make consistent gains, and seventh-rounder Samori Toure was barely involved. Continued here

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Are nudges sinister psychological tricks? Or are they useless? Actually they are neither Swee-Hoon Chuah served a secondment to the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) in 2019. Nudging – the idea that simple changes to how a choice is presented can lead people to make better decisions – has been one of the most popular ideas to emerge from economics in the past two decades. Continued here

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2022 Was a Great Year for Mysteries This year, Atlas Obscura went hunting for answers to some of the surprising mysteries that have perplexed historians, scientists, artists, and treasure hunters for decades. We found debunked urban legends (the truth was far weirder), a new plant species, a very important misspelling, and, possibly, at least one elaborate prank. For decades a crudely constructed, 20-foot-tall cement and stone cross stood in a hollow on the northern outskirts of Kaysville, Utah. Marked with a large letter “K” in the center, it was known to locals as Kay’s Cross. It couldn’t be seen from any road and was on private property, undeveloped except for a few footpaths that meandered deep into the woods. Its secluded location, unknown origins, and proximity to the Kaysville Cemetery made Kay’s Cross a fixture of urban legend. But the truth, Greg Christensen discovered, is far more bizarre, involving the reclusive Kingston clan and a wandering religious zealot who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Continued here

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Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights Across the Arctic, people have revered—and sometimes feared—eerie, shifting lights that arrived without warning in the night sky and never appeared the same way twice. Ancient explanations for the lights vary widely among the Saami, Tlingit, Vikings, and other northern cultures, changing from one fjord to the next and over centuries. The aurora borealis, or northern lights, have been described as the spirits of women who never married or of the stillborn; as restless, lonely souls of those who died from suicide or murder; as reflections glinting off the armor of fierce Valkyries; as malevolent spirits who might chop off your head if you whistled at them too loudly. Regardless of how they were explained, it appears that everyone who witnessed the lights was filled with wonder and the need to understand the phenomenon. The first known documentation of auroras was more than 4,500 years ago in China, but some archaeologists have interpreted much older cave art as depictions of prehistoric auroral displays in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Auroras occur near both poles, but are more commonly reported in northern high latitudes simply because most humans—more than 80 percent—live north of the equator. Continued here

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What 5,700 years of sea-level changes reveal about early humans Sea levels in Micronesia rose much faster over the past 5,000 years than previously thought, according to our new study published on December 19th in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This sea-level rise is shown by the accumulation of mangrove sediments on the islands of Pohnpei and Kosrae. The finding may change how we think about when people migrated into Remote Oceania, and where they might have voyaged from. Continued here

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The night Messi won the World Cup - told with some help from the man himself Messi craved World Cup success because he felt he owed it to himself and his country. And now, after Argentina overcame France in a penalty shootout after a pulsating 3-3 draw in which he scored twice and his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick for France, Messi has delivered that success, just as the great Diego Maradona did 36 years ago. Continued here

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A Year of Stories About Indigenous Achievement and Innovation From saving a caribou herd in British Columbia to cooking with ingredients from the Torres Strait Islands, Indigenous people have used traditional knowledge to encourage new ways of seeing the world. This year, Atlas Obscura published several stories detailing and celebrating advances led by these communities around the world. “Caribou have always been there for us when we needed them,” says Roland Willson, chief of the West Moberly First Nations. “It’s time to be there for them.” Since at least the late 1960s, the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations of British Columbia have noticed that the number of caribou in the region have declined significantly. By 2013, the Klinse-Za herd numbered just 38. In an effort to bring back and protect the caribou, the two First Nations have joined forces with scientists and government representatives to work toward federally protected habitat. Continued here

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Gastro Obscura's Favorite Cookbook Stories of 2022 Like cooks themselves, cookbooks are often keepers of historical records. Whether it’s recipes to survive a long, dark winter in Antarctica or to fuel a feminist revolution, the best examples of the genre often provide snapshots in time. Others speak to the current zeitgeist, including our current anxieties about the possible impending apocalypse. At Gastro Obscura, we’re all about using food to tell stories that go way beyond the kitchen, which is why these particular cookbooks and the people who made them resonated with us. Here are the backstories of cookbooks that we’ll be thinking about for years to come. Continued here

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History's First Named Author Was a Mesopotamian Priestess In Atlas Obscura’s Q&A series She Was There, we talk to female scholars who are writing long-forgotten women back into history. History’s first recorded author was a woman named Enheduanna. Born sometime in the latter half of the 23rd century BC, Enheduanna was the high priestess of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur. It was a political role as well as a religious one; as the daughter of a powerful king, Enheduanna was no stranger to affairs of the state. In her writing, she wielded her pen for peace, working to unite a fractured kingdom. Continued here

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Castello Aragonese Calvi Risorta In a country where castles dot coastlines and hilltops, the Aragon Castle of Calvi Risorta seems a bit out of place.  Instead of commanding an ocean or valley view, the medieval castle sits right off the roadway miles from the coast, in a relatively flat area of Campania, Italy. The castle is in fact strategically located along the route from southern Italy to Rome. Just as the nearby modern highway (the A1) now directly connects Naples to Rome, the ancient Via Latina and the Appian Way once meandered through Campania.  Several “Castelli Aragonesi” dot the Italian landscape. There is one in Puglia, on Ischia, in Baia, in Lecce, in Ortona, and perhaps most famously in downtown Naples (Castel Nuovo). Each “Aragonese” fortress generally has four cylinder-shaped towers connected by high walls surrounded by a moat. The smaller Aragon Castle of Calvi Risorta, too, follows this almost cartoon-like pattern. The castle’s structure dates from the 9th century and acquired its current layout during the Aragon Dynasty which ruled the region from 1442 and 1555. Continued here

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Word first: Australia's Great Barrier Reef coral frozen for preservation Australia's Great Barrier Reef coral has been frozen in what is a world-first trial for storing coral larvae that scientists say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change, according to a report by Reuters published on Tuesday. Coral reefs everywhere are being decimated as rising ocean temperatures destabilize delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef has undergone four bleaching events in just the last seven years. Continued here

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My favourite fictional character: the crazed, compelling voice of William's Trevor's 40something photographer Ivy Eckdorf Although I have been a long-time fan of the Irish writer William Trevor, it was only in 2016 – amid the flood of tributes following his death – that I first heard of what has become one of my favourite novels, Mrs Eckdorf in O’Neill’s Hotel. In honouring Trevor, fellow Irishman John Banville described Mrs Eckdorf in O’Neill’s Hotel, first published in 1969, as “an inexplicably neglected 20th-century masterpiece”. His recommendation sent me scurrying to source a copy. Continued here

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Empty Plinth of the Colston Statue The year 2020 was historic, not just for the coronavirus pandemic taking a hold of the world, but also because of the Black Lives Matter protests. The protests were heard around the globe, and in the U.K., they were especially memorable in the city of Bristol. In 1895, a statue was erected in the city to commemorate the Bristol-born sea merchant and slave trader Edward Colston. Since the 1990s, many locals and organizations had been campaigning to get the statue either removed or adjusted to reflect Colston’s history as an enslaver. These proposals were declined or simply ignored. But in 2020, people who objected to the statue’s presence in Bristol took matters into their own hands. Continued here

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Salem Witch Trials Memorial A short walk from the Peabody Essex Museum and Witch City Mall on busy Essex Street, you can find Salem’s solemn memorial to the 20 victims of their 1692 witch trials. Granite walls surround three sides of the space; the fourth side is an open stone threshold and a blue plaque on one corner. The Salem Witch Trials Memorial was dedicated in 1992, three centuries after the infamous witch trials took place. Within the walls, there are simple stone slabs, one for each victim, etched with their name, execution date, and how they were killed. Do take a moment to read the plaque, and look down at the threshold; where fragments of the statements of the accused have been etched. See how other visitors lay flowers, coins, poems, and other ephemera on the slabs. It is a powerful area that grounds you for the stores and tourist areas minutes away. Continued here

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Eco India: Why renting rather than buying can be eco-friendly According to reports, between 2016 and 2019, more than 100 companies came up in the online rental arena in India. Continued here S61 Gallery Climate Coalition is the Green Conscience of the Art World The initiative’s 2023 plans promise to make industry leaders of art institutions and practitioners working to mitigate the effects of climate change Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) is an international charity and membership organization working to reduce the art sector’s carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030, in line with the COP 21 Paris Agreement. Founded in October 2020, GCC is comprised of hundreds of galleries and art professionals around the world who believe an industry-specific response to the unfolding climate crisis is a matter of urgency. GCC’s strategy is to raise awareness, promote zero waste practices and provide resources for members to effect meaningful change. But going into 2023, GCC will focus more on lobbying groups and ensuring that tangible action is taken. Frieze associate editor Angel Lambo spoke to Heath Lowndes, co-founder and director of GCC, to find out more.  Continued here S44 Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital Tucked in the popular Souq Waqif near the Falcon souk and off a side alley, little falcon footprints lead up to the entrance of a modern, non-profit animal hospital just for the prized falcons of Qatar. During peak falconry season, September to January, Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital treats up to 150 birds a day. First opened in 2008, Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital is a state-of-the-art facility with equipment to deal with issues from a chipped talon to a broken wing. Technicians can even replace missing feathers, and keep drawers full of different specimens so they can match the pattern of a particular bird. The three-story hospital is subsidized by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.  Continued here S49 In Liberia, Christmas Is the Time of the Dancing Devils The Christmas season in Liberia is marked by the sounds of children singing and playing in the streets. Seasonal music plays a large role in cities such as the capital, Monrovia. Mae Azango, a Liberian journalist based there, says that children go from door to door singing Christmas carols and asking for candy. “I mean, the spirit is everywhere,” she says. “It’s an incredibly festive time.” Azango remembers the year she spent the holidays in the United States, and how she wanted to see a white Christmas for the first time. It didn’t take long for her to miss home. “I missed Liberia so much,” she explains. “I didn’t understand why everyone was locked away in their homes and I couldn’t see anybody on the streets. Where was Old Man Bayka?” Continued here S58 What’s Next for Berlin’s Museums? After a series of new appointments for Berlin’s museums, Carina Bukuts discusses the future of the city’s institutional landscape with Anselm Franke, María Inés Plaza Lazo, Fabian Schöneich and Sung Tieu Berlin offers many promises. In the 1990s, international artists moved to the unified German capital for cheap rent and to be part of a city that reinvented itself after nearly 30 years of division. This saw collections from East and West Berlin unite under one museum association and led to the foundation of new institutions. In line with the neoliberal politics of the past decades, Berlin has arguably only known one way: up. In 2021, towards the end of her tenure as minister of culture, Monika Grütters appointed a series of new directors to lead some of the most prestigious institutions in Berlin: Klaus Biesenbach is now head of Neue Nationalgalerie and the Museum of the 20th Century; curatorial duo Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath are the new faces of Hamburger Bahnhof and Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung will take over Haus der Kulturen der Welt in 2023. This roundtable considers the promises and pitfalls of these changes. Continued here S57 The Rise and Fall of Alaska's 'Reindeer King' So Gudbrand “G.J.” Lomen told his 19-year-old son Carl in the summer of 1900, as the two caught their first glimpse of Alaska Territory from the deck of the S.S. Garonne. The flat, treeless expanse in front of them was punctuated by snow-capped mountains, tent-packed mining camps, and rusted heavy machinery. The sounds of ship whistles and jangling dogsleds pierced the icy air. The scene was worlds away from G.J. Lomen’s law practice in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the younger Lomen had previously worked for his father, a successful attorney and first-generation Norwegian-American immigrant. Like countless voyagers of the era, the two had been lured northwest by tales of the treasures unearthed during the Nome Gold Rush. They never hit the mother lode that summer, but they stayed on as prospectors and entrepreneurs, eventually sending for the remaining Lomen clan to join them. Continued here S51 The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum One of the many hidden treasures on the urban campus of George Washington University is the multilevel, multifaceted Textile Museum. It includes three floors of textiles from different parts of the world, as well as a gift shop and an interactive textile lab. Exhibits include different types and styles of textiles from all over the world. Inside, there is a room of specially curated traditional Korean garments, cases of ornate headwear from all corners of the globe, dresses and gowns in various vibrant hues, and an incredibly elaborate seat cushion from the Joseon dynasty in 19th century Korea. Continued here S52 Moffett Field Historical Society Museum Aviation has been practiced in California since the early 20th century. However, this was not just airplanes but also a strong lighter-than-air division consisting of various types of blimps. The largest of these were the USS Arkon and Macon, a pair of nearly 800-foot-long flying behemoths, but also many smaller zeppelins and balloons were part of the fleet at the airfield. The history of these ships, the planes operated at the airfield, as well as NASA’s history, are all covered in the Moffet Field Museum. 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