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The spot where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic ocean
Where in the world can you see an infinite beach? Try the Namib Desert in Namibia, where some of the world’s tallest dunes meet the sea. The Namib Desert is the world’s oldest desert, going back at least 55 million years. While devoid of surface water, there are nearly a thousand miles of desert coastline […]
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Pink sea urchins have self-sharpening teeth
Pink sea urchins house five teeth, each supported by a separate jaw in a circular arrangement at the center of their spiked spherical bodies. But researchers at Northwestern have discovered that the teeth of pink sea urchins are specially equipped to self-sharpen themselves. The tooth enamel breaks off regularly to sustain precision, like a knife […]
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How Australia’s Lake Hillier gets its pink color
Lake Hillier located off the south coast of Western Australia (Middle Island) is an iconic lake known for its vivid pink color. Scientists postulate that the lake’s solid bubblegum color results from the intermixing of Halobacteria and a salt-tolerant algae species called Dunaliella Salina. When mixed with salt-tolerant microalgae, the bacteria produce red pigments that […]
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The African Dung Beetle navigates Earth using the stars
Not sure what’s more amazing about the African dung beetle, one that it rolls immaculate balls out of other animals’ dung or that it navigates from home to manure piles and back via celestial cues. “These clever insects use the polarized light of the moon to navigate in a straight line,” writes Popular Mechanics. “Their […]
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The beauty of Slovenia’s Bled Island
Bred Island is a small tear-shaped island floating in the middle of Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia. On the island sits Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, a Baroque church established in 1534. The mountains and forests surrounding the lake add to the picturesque view of the church. During the winter, the frost over […]
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A trip to Portugal’s stunning Benagil Sea Cave
The Benagil Sea Cave, located in a small fishing village 3 hours from Lisbon, is arguably one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world. Accessible only by boat, the cave contains a peculiar domed ceiling and natural oculus shaped by wave attrition and Miocene limestone built-up over 20 million years ago. Hiding under […]
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Attenborough’s fan-throated lizard
Attenborough’s fan-throated lizard (Sitana attenboroughii) is a species of fan-throated lizards endemic to India, primarily found in the state of Tamil Nadu. The males flaunt their colorful dewlaps — loose skin on their necks — to woo potential mates during mating season. The males also flash their fan-structured throats to ward off rivals in their […]
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Extreme close-up of a Wolf Spider
Let’s hope this animal doesn’t upset your sleep tonight. Below is a close-up facial expression of the Wolf Spider (Lycosidae). If you don’t think the energy the creature gives off is weird enough, look more closely at the additional four more little eyes near the mouth. The Wolf Spider has a total of 8 eyes […]
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Colombia is home to the tallest palm tree in the world, the palma de cera
The tallest palm tree in the world resides in the Colombian Andes in Los Nevados National Park, amid the Cocora Valley. Colombia’s national tree, the palma de cera or wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), stands nearly 200 feet tall. But seeing it is no easy trek — hikers have to walk through a cloud forest that […]
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Say hello to the swimming pigs of the Bahamas
The uninhabited island of Big Major Cay in the Bahamas is populated entirely by swimming pigs. Known as the Swimming Pigs of Exuma, the feral pigs swim freely in the shallow, clear-water ocean and play amongst themselves on the beach. How the pigs got on the island is still a mystery. Some believe that they […]
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Daisugi: Ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees
The Japanese forestry technique for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedline shortage in Kyoto. The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches as if they were giant bonsai trees. In doing so, the mother tree provides a stable platform that supports the birth […]
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How the Honduran white bat converts large leaves into tents
Some of the most bizarre wildlife exists in the Honduran rainforest. Take the Honduran white fruit bat (Ectophylla alba), for example. The size of a golf ball, these tiny fluffy creatures love to snuggle together in leaf plants like peas in a pod. They are also polygamous; each little colony houses up to six females […]