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Cities

9 Offbeat Portugal Towns To Visit In 2026

Portugal's nine oddest small towns: granite-swallowed Monsanto, schist-built Piódão, marble-paved Estremoz, and the cowbell Carnival of Podence.

Animals

Marabou Stork

Marabou Stork is called the undertaker bird for its bald head and hunched stance, yet each grim feature is an adaptation for feeding inside a carcass.

Space

What The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Will Do That Webb Cannot

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched in August 2026, pairs a wide infrared field of view with survey speed the Webb and Hubble were never built for.

Cities

10 Most Charming Town Squares In Hawaii

From Kalakaua Park in Hilo to Dole Park on Lanai, these Hawaii town squares still host the parades, markets and lei drapings.

Ancient World

Who Were The Most Overrated Roman Generals?

Not all famous Roman generals deserve their praise. There were several of them who, when you really look at their track record, were somewhat overrated

Cities

2026's 11 Best Small Towns To Visit In New Zealand

These 11 New Zealand small towns pair Oamaru's Victorian whitestone streets and Raglan's black sand surf with fresh Greenshell mussels in Havelock.

Cities

11 Best Downtowns on the Pacific Coast

These downtowns highlight the best of the Pacific Coast's timeless charm for travelers seeking walkable, beautiful destinations with fewer crowds.

Lakes

What Happens If Lake Mead Drops Below Its Power Intakes

Hoover Dam has already lost half its output since 2000 without anyone noticing. What happens if Lake Mead falls below the turbines, and why it is a slope not a cliff.

Mountains

The Tallest Mountain In America From Base To Summit

Measured from its deep-sea base, one American peak beats Everest by thousands of feet. See how nine giants rank when height starts at the bottom.

Rivers

What Happens When A River Meets The Ocean

See what happens when a river meets the ocean, and why fresh water floats, salt water pushes upstream underneath it, and the mud never makes it out to sea.

Rivers

The Longest Stretch Of The Mississippi With No Bridge

Between Helena, Arkansas and Greenville, Mississippi, the Mississippi River runs 131 miles with no bridge and no ferry. Here's why nobody has ever spanned it.

Stories

This Great Lakes Town Dives Into Maritime Heritage

This Great Lakes Town Dives Into Maritime Heritage in Alpena, Michigan, where Thunder Bay's Shipwreck Alley hides scores of wrecks beneath Lake Huron.

Travel

12 Overlooked Towns In Michigan Worth Visiting

The 11 towns are some of the most overlooked destinations in Michigan and are worth visiting. From coastal views to historic museums, they have it all.

Lakes

How Great Bear Lake Compares To The Great Lakes

Great Bear Lake is bigger than two Great Lakes, deeper than all five, and home to just 500 people. How Canada's Arctic giant stacks up against the famous five.

Animals

15 Animals Only Found In The United States

Explore and learn about the 15 most interesting animals that are endemic to the United States, from the Red Wolf to the tiny Bobtail Squid.

Animals

Mamushi

Mamushi is Japan's most medically important snake, a stout pit viper of rice paddies and field margins that bites a few thousand people every year.

Space

Why The Aurora Reached Florida

A fierce solar storm sent the northern lights spilling into Florida, painting subtropical skies with an Arctic glow in a rare show of the Sun’s power.

Ancient World

How Many Emperors Did The Roman Empire Have?

Rome counted roughly 70 emperors through 395 CE and closer to 90 by 476. Here is why no single number ever settles the question.

Stories

Five Days at Four mph on an English Canal Boat Is Pure Relaxation

Five days and 53 miles on the Shropshire Union Canal with two complete beginners aboard. No license needed, four miles an hour, and nowhere you have to be.

Animals

Amazon River Dolphin

Amazon River Dolphin turns pink with age, and much of that color is scar tissue from years of fighting, so the brightest males are usually the oldest ones.

Space

What The Psyche Mission Could Tell Us About Planetary Cores

NASA's Psyche spacecraft arrives at a metal-rich asteroid in 2029, where its readings could sharpen scientists' understanding of the cores of rocky planets.

Ancient World

Who Were The Most Overrated Ancient Generals?

Not all famous generals actually deserved the reputation that they have benefitted from. Here are some of history's most overrated commanders.

Stories

One Day, 10 Hours, 17 Bands at the Borderland Festival

Ten hours at Borderland's eighth year in East Aurora, from a video-called grandpa mid-set to Jack White closing on "Seven Nation Army."

Space

What Happens When A Satellite Burns Up In The Atmosphere

A satellite re-entry begins near 17,000 mph; learn what burns up, which dense parts reach Earth, and what the vaporized metal leaves behind.

Ancient World

The Best Leaders In Ancient Greece

Exploring these figures, and several more, is crucial to comprehending one of the most important civilizations in history.

Travel

9 Small Towns in the Southern United States with the Best Downtowns

Pay a theater in produce, browse a bookstore older than you, walk a brick riverfront. Nine small Southern towns with downtowns worth the afternoon.

Ancient World

How Rome Lost Its African Provinces

Rome, for a time, commanded one of the largest empires the world has seen. Over time, they would lose certain territories, including their African provinces.

Mountains

The Youngest Mountain Range In The United States

Grand Teton, despite its impressive appearance, is actually the youngest mountain range in the entirety of the United States.

Mountains

The American Mountains You Can Reach By Train

These six American mountain railways climb steep grades into the high country, ending at summit buildings, mountain towns, and breathtaking overlooks.

Mountains

The Widest Mountain In The United States

One American mountain spreads so far across the landscape that its width rivals its height for sheer scale, giving it a footprint unlike any other.

Mountains

The Rainiest Mountain In America

The Rainiest Mountain In America is Mount Waialeale on Kauai, where the summit averages about 450 inches of rain a year and once recorded 683 in 1982.

Geography

What Is The Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute

A border drawn more than a century ago still divides Thailand and Cambodia, with disputed temples and territory keeping tensions alive today.

Geography

How Big Alaska Is Compared To The Lower 48

Alaska is one fifth the size of the Lower 48 and bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. Why the maps you grew up with got it wrong twice.

Society

Life Expectancy in Asia

Japan has the highest average life expectancy in Asia, as well as the world.

Geography

What Continent Is Hawaii In?

Although politically Hawaii is considered part of North America, geographically Hawaii is not part of any continent.

Geography

Landlocked Countries In Asia

Twelve countries in Asia are considered landlocked, although some of them, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are along the Caspian Sea.

Sports

The Largest Stadiums In Asia

The biggest stadium on Earth isn't in America or Europe. It's in Asia, alongside 14 more giants. See the largest stadiums in Asia, ranked by capacity.

Nature

What Is A Cloud Forest?

How cloud forests drink from the clouds, and why Kilimanjaro, Monteverde, Yakushima and the Appalachians all depend on the mist.

Climate

The Driest States In The United States

The driest states in the US aren't all deserts. Some are famous for snow. Ranked by NOAA precipitation data, with the geography that keeps each one dry.

Climate

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US

The Cities With the Lowest Annual Rainfall in the US are led by Yuma, Arizona, where barely three inches fall in a year, followed by Las Vegas and Phoenix.