California’s saltiest lake is full of arsenic-loving roundworms

Reconstructing ancient games, hiking Oʻahu's Pu'u Mai Stairs, and the Old Believers Museum. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. October 02, 2019 Mono Lake’s Bizarre Roundworms If you’re human, the waters of Mono Lake aren’t for you. But for Auanema, a genus of roundworm, it’s home. The creature’s ability to survive in the salty, basic conditions of the lake, which contains more than 500 times the amount of arsenic that is fatal for humans, can teach us a lot about survival. Read More → Reconstructing Ancient Games From Viking hnefatafl to Chinese liubo, board games are one of the oldest documented forms of leisure. Now an interdisciplinary team of software engineers, game historians, and archaeologists is attempting to piece together the lineage and rules of ancient board games with modern technology. Read more → Terrible Mammoth Drawing Though it may look like a pig, this creature is actually a mammoth drawn from memory by a Russian merchant. The first reconstruction of its kind, this somewhat laughable caricature played a pivotal role in science’s early understanding of the mammal’s anatomy without relying solely on bones. Read more → Video Hiking Oʻahu’s Pu’u Mai Stairs The Koko Head Crater Trail, or the Pu’u Mai Stairs, is a popular 1,048-step hike up an abandoned railway. For locals, this trail is more than just a path—it’s become a way for them to conquer their fears, overcome their trauma, or discover their own unique communities. Watch now → The Green Curtain In the 30 years after the crumbling of East Germany, the former Iron Curtain has transformed into the Green Belt, an 800-mile swath of protected land. It now connects more than 100 different types of habitat, from grasslands to marshes to forests, and is home to 1,200 threatened species. Read more → SKOLKJA, ESTONIA Old Believers Museum Home to the Russian Old Believers, the cluster of villages along the western shore of Estonia’s Lake Peipsi is frozen in time. Housed in a few rooms behind a school, this museum offers a glimpse into the village residents’ centuries-old way of life. Read more → TLALNEPANTLA DE BAZ, MEXICO Pyramids of Tenayuca A barbarous band of serpents guard the bases of these Aztec temples on the outskirts of Mexico City. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222