Dozens of Skyscrapers in Brazil Are Leaning by Feet. The Ground Beneath Them Is the Problem
In Santos, Brazil, apartment towers along the Atlantic coast have slowly tilted by feet. The buildings are still homes to…
Japan Built a 400-Kilometer Wall to Fight the Ocean. It Cost $12 Billion. Does It Actually Work?
On the afternoon of March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake – the strongest ever recorded in Japan – ruptured…
The World Map Is Being Redrawn – And Africa Is at the Center of the Change
For generations, the world has been taught through a map that makes some of the planet’s largest countries and continents…
Costa Rica’s Unusual Orange Shark: The Story Behind the Rare Sighting
When a group of sport fishermen dropped their lines off Costa Rica in August 2024, they were expecting the usual…
Inside the Phuket Vegetarian Festival: The Thai Celebration Where Devotees Pierce Their Faces and Walk on Fire
Every October, one of Thailand’s most photographed islands trades its beach-resort image for something far stranger: nine days of trance,…
While Most of Europe Is Setting Up Christmas Markets, These Beaches Are Still Open for Business in November
By the second week of November, the European travel calendar has largely moved indoors. Mulled wine stalls are going up…
For Those Who Love Bad Weather: Why It’s Underappreciated and the Hidden Benefits It Brings
A few years ago, a woman posted a short video explaining why she’d moved to Seattle: not despite the famously…
The Subpolar Climate: What It’s Actually Like to Live Where Winter Never Really Ends
Somewhere between the temperate world most people know and the frozen poles almost nobody lives in, there’s a vast, cold,…
This South Korean City Was Built From Scratch Without Traditional Garbage Trucks. Could Older Cities Do the Same?
In most cities, taking out the trash is one of the least glamorous parts of urban life. Garbage bins line…
A Giant Forested Island Was Seen Floating Across a Canadian Reservoir. Then It Disappeared.
For a few weeks this summer, part of British Columbia appeared to have come loose. A huge, tree-covered mass was…
Overtourism in Spain: Beaches Are Overflowing – and the Sea Is Paying the Price
By August, Spain’s beaches are supposed to be at their most inviting. Instead, in some of the country’s busiest coastal…
Eight Dead, 17 Missing After Ferry Capsizes Off Northern Cyprus
At least eight people have died and 17 remain missing after a passenger ferry capsized Sunday off the northern coast…
Meet the Next Madeira: Why Digital Nomads Are Quietly Discovering the Azores
Nine small volcanic islands sit scattered across the middle of the North Atlantic, roughly a third of the way from…
Rio’s Beaches Are Some of the Most Famous on Earth. Here’s What’s Actually in the Water.
Rio de Janeiro doesn’t really have an off-season. Wedged between mountains and the South Atlantic, the city runs warm enough…
The Great White Was Almost as Long as the Boat. Then the Drone Went Up
It was supposed to be a routine day on the water off the New South Wales coast. Instead, a drone…
Unusually Warm Waters Off California’s Coast: A Rare and Troubling Phenomenon
A Record-Breaking Anomaly The Pacific coastline of Southern California is currently experiencing an extraordinary and alarming event: ocean temperatures have…
A Wall of Mud and Water Tore Through Nepal’s Border With Tibet, Leaving Scores Dead and Hundreds Missing
A sudden torrent of mud, rock and water tore through Nepal’s Himalayan border region with China’s Tibet on Wednesday, sweeping…
Fort Boyard: The Myth vs. Reality of the ‘Inescapable’ Fortress
The Legend of the Impenetrable Prison Fort Boyard, the iconic stone structure perched between the Île d’Aix and the Île…
Tenerife Wants to Give Santa Cruz Something It Has Been Missing for Decades: The Ocean
For much of its modern history, Santa Cruz de Tenerife has had an unusual relationship with the Atlantic. The ocean…
Mallorca Was Hit by a ‘Meteorological Tsunami.’ Here’s What Actually Happened
The sea around Mallorca can change dramatically in a matter of minutes. On Monday, August 24, several coastal areas of…