The Art of Georgian Supra: A Culinary Tradition of Toasts, Feasts, and Togetherness
In the heart of the Caucasus, Georgia’s ancient culinary tradition known as Supra offers more…
The Art of Georgian Supra: A Culinary Tradition of Toasts, Feasts, and Togetherness
In the heart of the Caucasus, Georgia’s ancient culinary tradition known as Supra offers more than just food—it’s a ritual of hospitality, storytelling, and cultural pride. The word supra means “tablecloth” in Georgian, symbolizing a feast that brings families, friends, and even strangers together. Unlike typical meals, a supra is led by a tamada (toastmaster),…
The Pig War of 1859: How a Slain Swine Nearly Sparked a U.S.-British Conflict
In 1859, a seemingly trivial incident on San Juan Island, located between Vancouver Island and the U.S. mainland, nearly escalated into a war between the United States and Britain. An American settler, Lyman Cutlar, shot a British-owned pig that was rooting in his garden, leading to a diplomatic standoff. This event, known as the Pig…
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper: Racing Against Extinction
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is one of the world’s most critically endangered birds, with fewer than 700 mature individuals remaining in the wild. This tiny shorebird, distinguished by its unique spatula-shaped bill, breeds in northeastern Russia and migrates thousands of kilometers to Southeast Asia. Its survival is increasingly threatened by habitat loss due to…
The Bennu Breakthrough, How an Ancient Asteroid May Hold Clues to Life’s Origins
In a landmark discovery, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu that contain all five nucleobases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil—the essential building blocks of DNA and RNA. This finding supports the theory that life’s ingredients may have been delivered to Earth via asteroids, offering profound insights into the origins of life on our…
The Hexagon Storm of Saturn: A Mysterious Weather Phenomenon
Saturn, the gas giant known for its stunning ring system, hides one of the most bizarre and enduring weather patterns in our solar system—a massive hexagon-shaped storm at its north pole. First discovered by the Voyager missions in the 1980s and later studied in greater detail by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, this atmospheric feature spans about…
Svalbard, The Remote Arctic Archipelago Where Polar Night Meets Global Science
Tucked between mainland Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard is one of Earth’s most extreme and mesmerizing travel destinations. This icy archipelago is known for its untouched arctic landscapes, polar bears, and months of polar night or midnight sun. But beyond the dramatic scenery, Svalbard is also home to the Global Seed Vault and cutting-edge…
The Crying Babies Festival of Japan: A Tradition to Ward Off Evil
In the heart of Japan, an unusual cultural tradition called the “Naki Sumo” or “Crying Babies Festival” takes place annually at various temples, including the renowned Sensoji Temple in Tokyo. During this event, sumo wrestlers gently hold infants and try to make them cry, often by making silly faces or engaging in lighthearted gestures. While…
The Accidental Invention of the Microwave, From Radar to Kitchen Staple
The microwave oven, now a common fixture in kitchens around the world, was never originally intended to cook food. In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was working on radar technology using magnetrons at Raytheon when he noticed a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted unexpectedly. Intrigued, he experimented by placing popcorn kernels and eventually an…
The Elusive Vaquita: The World’s Rarest Marine Mammal
Hidden in the northern reaches of the Gulf of California lives the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the most endangered marine mammal in the world. With fewer than 10 individuals estimated to remain, this shy porpoise has been pushed to the brink of extinction primarily due to bycatch—accidental entanglement in illegal fishing nets set for totoaba, a…
The Silent Thunderstorms of Jupiter, Unseen Power in the Gas Giant’s Skies
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, holds many secrets beneath its thick bands of stormy clouds. One of the most bizarre and awe-inspiring phenomena is the presence of silent lightning storms. Unlike Earth, where thunder accompanies lightning, Jupiter’s electrical discharges occur in near silence — at least to human ears — due to…