• What horrors await you in the dark of night?
  Some have fangs
• Let us take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Halloween…
  What do you mean, Linus?
• Not every vampire has an undying thirst for foxy teenage girls’ blood.
  Some of them prefer goats
• Count Dracula may not be real, but Castle Bran has a bloody history that would make Dracula proud.
  Where is it?

Bats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera (pronounced /kaɪˈrɒptərə/). The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than fly, and only for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, like birds, but instead flap their spread out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium. Chiroptera comes from two Greek words, cheir (χειρ) “hand” and pteron (πτερον) “wing.”

There are about 1,100 bat species worldwide, which represent about 20 percent of all classified mammal species. About 70 percent of bats are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores, or fruit eaters. A few species feed from animals other than insects. Bats are present throughout most of the world and perform vital ecological roles such as pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds.

Bats range in size from Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat measuring 29–33 mm (1.14–1.30 in) in length and 2 g (0.07 oz) in mass, to the Giant Golden-crowned Flying-fox which has a wing span of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and weighs approximately 1.2 kg (3 lb).

• Why do Glaswegians come here for their skiing and hiking adventures?
  Well, wouldn’t you?
• From this wild, harsh region comes a warrior who just might win the most brutal challenge of all.
  There can be only one
• Members of the Clan MacDonald — once lords of this land — will never forget the events of 1692.
  It was a hard year for them
• Is this the hot, dry place that so many lions, elephants, and gazelles call home?
  Nope, it’s not Africa

Loch Tulla is a small loch at grid reference NN293428 near Bridge of Orchy and Glen Coe in Scotland and in the central highlands. It contains salmon some of which are bred locally.

• Wake up, eat fresh fruit for breakfast, go snorkeling, take a nap…
  Visit the tropics and dream a while
• The biggest starfish in the world has at least three times as many arms as this little guy.
  How big is it?
• If you cut a starfish in half, both pieces will regenerate into a whole new starfish.
  What else do echinoderms do?
• Everyone knows the ocean is full of wonder and mystery.
  But who knew there was so much singing?

Sea stars (also often called “starfish”) are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names “sea star” and “starfish” essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds “sea star” and “starfish” also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as “brittle stars or “basket stars”.

Sea stars exhibit a superficially radial symmetry. They typically have five “arms” which radiate from a central disk (pentaradial symmetry). However, the evolutionary ancestors of echinoderms are believed to have had bilateral symmetry. Sea stars do exhibit some superficial remnant of this body structure, evident in their larval pluteus forms.

Sea stars do not rely on a jointed, movable skeleton for support and locomotion (although they are protected by their skeleton), but instead possess a hydraulic water vascular system that aids in locomotion. The water vascular system has many projections called tube feet on the ventral face of the sea star’s arms which function in locomotion and aid with feeding. Sea stars usually hunt for shelled animals such as oysters and clams. They have two stomachs. One stomach is used for digestion, and the second stomach can be extended outward to engulf and digest prey. This feature allows the sea star to hunt prey that is much larger than its mouth would otherwise allow. Sea stars are able to regenerate lost arms. A new sea star may be regenerated from a single arm attached to a portion of the central disk.

• Facial tattoos may be the ultimate taboo in the U.S., but they were once a sign of high rank here.
  Check it out
• Māori legend says these are ancient gourds washed ashore from the wreck of the first great canoe.
  There are other theories, of course
• No dinner party in this country is complete without everyone’s favorite dish…
  The Chantilly cream is only the beginning
• You’ll find these boulders along the stretch of coastline between Moeraki and Hampden.
  Where’s that?

The Moeraki Boulders are unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden, and are located at 45°20′42.99″S 170°49′33.82″E / 45.345275°S 170.8260611°E / -45.345275; 170.8260611. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve. The erosion by wave action of mudstone, comprising local bedrock and landslides, frequently exposes embedded isolated boulders. These boulders are grey-colored septarian concretions, which have been exhumed from the mudstone enclosing them and concentrated on the beach by coastal erosion.

Local Māori legends explained the boulders as the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of an Arai-te-uru, a large sailing canoe. This legend tells of the rocky shoals that extend seaward from Shag Point as being the petrified hull of this wreck and a nearby rocky promontory as being the body of the canoe’s captain. In 1848 W.B.D. Mantell sketched the beach and its boulders, more numerous than now. The picture is now in the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington. The boulders were described in 1850 colonial reports and numerous popular articles since that time. In more recent times they have become a popular tourist attraction, often described and pictured in numerous web pages and tourist guides.

• This is one of the largest residences of the great French kings…
  Later it was the Western Allied headquarters
• Think the outside is nice?
  Wait ‘til you see the inside
• What was life like for the pampered aristocrats who once lived here?
  It might have looked something like this
• French nobles used to hunt game through the 42,000 acres of forest attached to this estate.
  Where is it?

Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 55.5 kilometres (34.5 mi) south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau. The commune has the largest land area in the Île-de-France region; it is the only one to cover a larger area than Paris itself.

Fontainebleau, together with the neighbouring commune of Avon and three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants (according to the 1999 census). This urban area is a satellite of Paris.

Fontainebleau is renowned for the large and scenic forest of Fontainebleau, a favourite weekend getaway for Parisians, as well as for the historical château de Fontainebleau, which once belonged to the kings of France, It is also the home of INSEAD, one of the world’s most elite business schools; of the École supérieure d’ingénieurs en informatique et génie des télécommunications (ESIGETEL), one of France’s grandes écoles; and of a branch of the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, the Paris School of Mines, also one of the elite grandes écoles.

• Can you imagine a centuries-long storm so big you can see it from space?
  It’s raging here
• Where can you go to see the Universe being born?
  Plus a model of known space in 3D
• What’s better than a picture of the majesty of deep space?
  A bunch of pictures
• Some people visit this city for the shopping, the theater scene, or the art.
  But some come just for the science

The Hayden Planetarium is a public planetarium located on Central Park West, New York City, next to and organizationally part of the American Museum of Natural History.

Since February 2000, the planetarium has been one of the two main attractions within the Rose Center for Earth and Space. The top half of the Hayden Sphere houses the Star Theater, which uses high-resolution fulldome video to project “space shows” based in scientific visualization of current astrophysical data, in addition to a customized Zeiss Star Projector system replicating an accurate night sky as seen from Earth. The bottom half of the Sphere is home to the Big Bang Theater, which depicts the birth of the universe in a four-minute program. As visitors leave the Planetarium theater, they exit to the Size Scales of the Universe exhibit which shows the vast array of sizes in the universe; the walkway itself is a timeline of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present. This exhibit leads to the Big Bang Theater and exits to the Cosmic Pathway, which shows the history of the universe. From the bottom of the Cosmic Pathway, visitors can stop by the Hall of Planet Earth to explore geology, weather, plate tectonics and more, or go down to the Hall of the Universe to explore the realms of planets, stars, galaxies and more.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is the planetarium’s director.

The Hayden Planetarium offers a number of courses and public presentations including the Frontiers of Astrophysics and Distinguished Authors lecture series.

When the Hayden Planetarium reopened after renovation in 2000 with a model of only eight planets, excluding what was then called planet Pluto, it resulted in a headline-making controversy.

• There’s more to this park than a stunningly beautiful waterfall.
  Like what?
• This part of the country is so pretty that you can almost take scenery like this for granted.
  See more majestic views
• From the Continental Divide to Hell’s Canyon, why is this river one of the Pacific Northwest’s most important?
  Other than its tourism value, that is
• Niagara may be the more famous waterfall, but this one is higher.
  Where is it?

Shoshone Falls  is a waterfall on the Snake River located approximately five miles east of Twin Falls, Idaho. Sometimes called the “Niagara of the West,” Shoshone Falls is 212 feet (64.7 m) high–36 feet (10.97 m) higher than Niagara Falls– and flows over a rim 900 feet (274 m) wide.

A park overlooking the waterfall is owned and operated by the City of Twin Falls. Shoshone Falls is best viewed in the spring as diversion of the Snake River for irrigation often significantly diminishes water levels in the summer and fall.

Shoshone Falls has existed for 30,000 to 60,000 years. It is a total barrier to the upstream movement of fish. The falls was the upper limit of sturgeon, and spawning runs of salmon and steelhead could not pass the falls. Yellowstone cutthroat trout lived above the falls in the same ecological niche as Rainbow Trout below it. Due to this marked difference, the World Wide Fund for Nature used Shoshone Falls as the boundary between the Upper Snake and the Columbia Unglaciated freshwater ecoregions.

Prior to the construction of the many dams on the Snake River below the falls, there were tremendous runs of salmon in the Snake River. The salmon fishery at the base of the falls was a primary food source for Bannock and Shoshne Indians and during the springtime runs, spears could be thrown into the water at random and consitantly strike salmon.

Only 35% of fish species of the upper Snake River are shared with the lower Snake and Columbia rivers. Fourteen fish species found in the upper Snake are also found in the Bonneville freshwater ecoregion (which covers the Great Basin portion of Utah), but not the lower Snake or Columbia rivers. The upper Snake River is also high in freshwater mollusk endemism (such as snails and clams).

• What controversial, super-high-tech aircraft is named after this bird?
  It’s like a plane and a helicopter in one
• DDT nearly wiped out these fierce creatures, but they’re making a strong comeback.
  Check out their ferocious-looking babies
• This bird breeds on every continent except South America and Antarctica.
  What is it?
• It’s no surprise that this particular bird would hang out here, in a land renowned for its natural beauty.
  Where is it?

Osprey
The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), sometimes known as the sea hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimetres (24 in) in length with a 1.8 metre (6 ft) wingspan. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings.

The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common name suggests, the Osprey’s diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It has evolved specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Four subspecies are usually recognised. Despite its propensity to nest near water, the Osprey is not a sea-eagle.

Taxonomy
The Osprey was one of the many species described by Carolus Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae, and named as Falco haliaeetus. The genus Pandion was described by the French zoologist Marie Jules César Savigny in 1809.

The Osprey differs in several respects from other diurnal birds of prey. Its toes are of equal length, its tarsi are reticulate, and its talons are rounded, rather than grooved. The Osprey is the only raptor whose outer toe is reversible, allowing it to grasp its prey with two toes in front and two behind. It has always presented something of a riddle to taxonomists, but here it is treated as the sole member of the family Pandionidae, and the family listed in its traditional place as part of the order Falconiformes. Other schemes place it alongside the hawks and eagles in the family Accipitridae—which itself can be regarded as making up the bulk of the order Accipitriformes or else be lumped with the Falconidae into Falconiformes. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy has placed it together with the other diurnal raptors in a greatly enlarged Ciconiiformes, but this results in an unnatural paraphyletic classification.

• This watery nation is home to one of the world’s rarest mammals.
  They only recently discovered it
• “Rub-a-dub-dub, three maidens in a tub…”
  Where will they make landfall?
• Who in this war-torn land could prevail against an undefeatable enemy?
  Two sisters, warrior queens
• Want to sail the ocean blue in your very own bamboo boat?
  Start here

These amazing basket boats are woven from bamboo, and lacquered in some fashion to make them waterproof. They are lightweight and easy to carry from place to place, apparently good in shallow water because of little draft, and often used as tenders for larger boats. But they are also utilized for fishing and getting from place to place in their own right, as this guy demonstrates. His curious use of a plastic pot is atypical for steerage or propulsion, as normally a paddle is used in seasaw fashion to advance the vessel at walking pace. Perhaps he is bailing, as appears to be the case, but the boat does seem to be setting well in the water. Controlling these boats is another mystery to the uninitiated, as you might well imagine, in that they tend to just go round and round like a spinning bowl in the water when powered with improper technique. One of those things you have to know how to do, looking somewhat easy as you observe local use, but quite baffling without proper instruction and lots of frustrating practice. They tend to be freqently seen throughout central Vietnam. Where bamboo basketry of all sorts is commonplace, this is one of the larger, more inventive uses. People baskets, intended to contain the water on the outside rather than within.

Source: Photographie Irie

• Some people are so proud of this viaduct that they put its picture on a ten-pound note.
  Do you recognize it?
• You don’t have to be Harry Potter to ride the Hogwarts Express.
  Anyone can do it
• The train that runs on this track is named after a famous political movement.
  It all goes back to King James
• “From scenes like these old Scotia’s grandeur springs.” —Robert BurnsWhere in the heck is old Scotia?

Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It was built between 1897 and 1901. Located at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland, the viaduct overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel.

Construction
The 21-arch single track viaduct was one of the largest engineering undertakings using concrete without reinforcing when it was built by Sir Robert McAlpine.

According to myth, during construction a cart-horse and driver were killed when they fell into one of the piers while dumping their load, and were buried in the concrete. Recent research has shown that the incident happened at Loch Nan Uamh Viaduct, further down the line, near Arisaig, and the driver survived. Memorial plaques are at the latter viaduct and at Glenfinnan Station Museum.

Railway services
The West Highland Line connects Fort William and Mallaig, and was a crucial vein for the local fishing industry and the highlands economy in general, which suffered enormously after the Highland Clearances of the 1800s.
The line is used by passenger trains operated by ScotRail between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig, usually diesel multiple units. Additionally in the summer the heritage Jacobite steam train operates along the line. It is a popular tourist event in the area, and the viaduct is one of the major attractions of the line.

Depiction
The viaduct is commemorated on the Bank of Scotland £10 note

In popular culture
Glenfinnan Viaduct has been used as a location in several films and television series, including Charlotte Gray, Monarch of the Glen, and most famously Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in which a substantial sequence revolves around the Hogwarts Express crossing the viaduct. Its appearances in two subsequent Harry Potter films, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire, has cemented the association of the viaduct with the film series.

Scottish banknotes
The Glenfinnan Viaduct features on some Scottish banknotes. The 2007 series of notes issued by the Bank of Scotland depicts different bridges in Scotland as examples of Scottish engineering, and the £10 note features the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

• This world-famous museum opened 50 years ago today.
  Which one is it?
• The Guggenheim foundation has championed some of modern art’s most innovative pioneers.
  Like this guy
• Can you guess which famous architect designed this landmark building?
  You might be surprised
• This is one of Manhattan’s most distinctive buildings.
  Do you recognize it?

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened its doors on October 21, 1959 and is one of the best-known museums in New York City and one of the 20th century’s most important architectural landmarks. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum––which is often called simply The Guggenheim––is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art, and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. Located on the Upper East Side in New York City it is the second museum opened by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation which was founded in 1937. The 50th year anniversary of the Frank Lloyd Wright building will occur on October 21, 2009. The Museum recently underwent an extensive, three year renovation. In September, 2008, the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation confirmed the appointment of Richard Armstrong as its fifth director, effective November 4, 2008. He succeeds Thomas Krens, who served as Director from 1998.

• If you think this fish looks weird…
  Wait ’til you see the others
• You might not guess that this innocent little fish exudes poison when threatened.
  It’s no pushover
• Where’s the best place to swim with colorful, crazy-looking sea creatures?
  Try here first
• What kinds of creatures live in the deeps of the Earth’s final frontier?
  Find out

The longhorn cowfish, Lactoria cornuta, is a variety of boxfish from the Ostraciidi family, recognisable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull. They are a resident of the Indo-Pacific region and are usually around 10cm (4ins) long. Whilst badly suited to the home aquarium, the cowfish is becoming increasingly popular as a pet.

Adults are often solitary and territorial, live around sand or rubble bottom up to a depth of 50 m. They are omnivorous, feeding upon benthic algae, various microorganisms, and foraminiferans that it strains from sediments, sponges, polychaete worms from sand flats, mollusks, small crustaceans, and small fishes, able to feed on benthic invertebrates by blowing jets of water into the sandy substrate.

• This part of Germany is famous for its castles, its mountains, its forests, and its beer.
  Where is it?
• Looking for decorating ideas for your new mountaintop castle?
  See what they’ve done with this place
• Get to know the ultimate fairy tale castle.
  It even has a fairy tale name
• What kind of king would build a castle like this?
  Some called him “eccentric”

• This city was once world-renowned for its sizzling nightlife.
  What’s it like today?
• For a country with no professional sports leagues…
  These guys are pretty big on the world stage
• Despite this country’s isolation, its artists and musicians still shine around the world.
  Put on your dancing shoes
• Where does everyone drive cars from the 1950s like it was no big deal?
  Only one place

• Light your lamps and get out your dice Today is the first day of Diwali
• America isn’t the only nation in the grip of dance fever. See India shake its groove thing
• Can you tell Shiva from Shakti? What about Vishnu from Vamana?
• Want to see a building completely covered in gold? They light it up like mad for Diwali

• Why is everyone wearing pink ribbons this month?
  To remind us to take care of our girls
• Ancient Romans ate flamingo tongues and thought them a rare delicacy.
  Ew! Just show me more pictures of flamingos
• Nobody knows for sure why flamingos stand around on one leg.
  But we do know why they’re pink
• Want to see flamingos in their natural habitat?
  There are baboons and lions, too

Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus and family Phoenicopteridae. They are found in both the Western Hemisphere and in the Eastern Hemisphere, but are more numerous in the latter. There are four species in the Americas and two species in the Old World. Two species, the Andean and the James’s Flamingo, are often placed in the genus Phoenicoparrus instead of Phoenicopterus.

Evolution

The prehistory of the Phoenicopteriformes is far better researched than their systematic affinities (see below). An extinct family of peculiar “swimming flamingos”, the Palaelodidae, was initially believed to be the ancestors of the Phoenicopteridae. This is now rejected, as the fossil genus Elornis, apparently a true albeit primitive flamingo, is known from the Late Eocene, before any palaelodid flamingoes have been recorded. A considerable number of little-known birds from the Late Cretaceous onwards are sometimes considered to be flamingo ancestors. These include the genera Torotix, Scaniornis, Gallornis, Agnopterus, Tiliornis, Juncitarsus and Kashinia; these show a mix of characters and are fairly plesiomorphic in comparison to modern birds. They live for 6 years on average. There exists a fairly comprehensive fossil record of the genus Phoenicopterus. The systematics of prehistoric Phoenicopteriformes known only from fossils is as followed:

* Palaelodidae
o Adelalopus (Borgloon Early Oligocene of Hoogbutsel, Belgium)
o Palaelodus (Middle Oligocene -? Middle Pleistocene)
o Megapaloelodus (Late Oligocene – Early Pliocene)

* Phoenicopteridae
o Elornis (Middle? Eocene – Early Oligocene) – includes Actiornis
o Phoenicopteridae gen. et sp. indet. (Camacho Middle? – Late Miocene? of San José, Uruguay) – see Ubilla et al. (1990)
o Prehistoric species of Phoenicopterus:
+ Phoenicopterus croizeti (Middle Oligocene – Middle Miocene of C Europe)
+ Phoenicopterus floridanus (Early Pliocene of Florida)
+ Phoenicopterus stocki (Middle Pliocene of Rincón, Mexico)
+ Phoenicopterus copei (Late Pleistocene of W North America and C Mexico)
+ Phoenicopterus minutus (Late Pleistocene of California, USA)
+ Phoenicopterus aethiopicus

Relations
American Flamingos at Chester Zoo.
American Flamingo and offspring

The identity of the closest relatives of the flamingos is a rather contentious issue. Traditionally, the long-legged Ciconiiformes, probably a paraphyletic assemblage, have been considered the flamingos’ closest relatives and the family was included in the order. Usually the spoonbills and ibises of the Threskiornithidae were considered their closest relatives within this order. Nevertheless, relationships to the Anseriformes (waterfowl) were considered as well (Sibley et al. 1969), especially as flamingos and waterfowl are parasitized by feather lice of the genus Anaticola (Johnson et al. 2006), which are otherwise exclusively found on ducks and geese.

To reflect the uncertainty about this matter, flamingos began to be placed in their own order later on. Other scientists proposed flamingos as waders most closely related to the stilts and avocets, Recurvirostridae[citation needed]. The peculiar presbyornithids were used to argue for a close relationship between flamingos, waterfowl, and waders (Feduccia 1976), but they are now known to be unequivocal waterfowl with a peculiarly derived morphology paralleling waders and flamingos.

In recent years, molecular and anatomical studies have placed flamingos within their expanded (and certainly paraphyletic, as is now known) Ciconiiformes. On the other hand, since long it has been the grebes (Podicipedidae), rather than Ciconiiformes, ducks, or stilts, that were time and again indicated as the closest relatives of flamingos, and there is currently renewed interest in this hypothesis.

In a 2004 study comparing DNA sequences of intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen gene (FGB-int7), the Neognathae (all living birds except the ratites and tinamous) excluding waterfowl and Galliformes were shown to be divided into two subgroups of uneven size. The first and smaller one, Metaves, contains flamingos and grebes, alongside the hoatzin, pigeons, sandgrouse, the Caprimulgiformes, the Apodiformes, tropicbirds, mesites, sunbittern and kagu. Interestingly, most of these groups have traditionally been difficult to place on the family tree of birds. According to this study, all other birds belong to the second subgroup of Neoaves, the Coronaves (Fain & Houde 2004).

But their molecular data was insufficient to resolve inter-Metaves relationships to satisfaction; the flamingo FGB-int7 sequence is apparently most similar to that of some species of nighthawks, strongly suggesting a case of convergent evolution on the molecular level. The conclusions that one can draw from this study are twofold: first, that flamingos are Metaves (if that group is not based on molecular convergence, for which there are some indications), and second, that FBG-int7 is unsuitable to determine their relationships beyond that. It is interesting to note, however, that among all the groups which have been proposed as sister taxa of the flamingos, only the grebes are Metaves. The relationships of the flamingos still cannot be resolved with any certainty, but presently a close relationship with grebes appears somewhat more likely than other proposals. For this clade, the taxon Mirandornithes (“miraculous birds” due to their extreme divergence and apomorphies) has been proposed. In summary, all this confusion serves to show that all lines of “evidence” – molecular, morphological, ecological and parasitological – are liable to yield erroneous “proof” and that no method can be considered generally superior. Any future attempt to finally resolve the flamingos’ relationships, therefore, would have to employ total evidence to support it and carefully weigh the data against alternative proposals.

• These nomads lead a traditional lifestyle… But some of their customs feel surprisingly modern.
• Would you survive if you were lost for days in the desert? Increase your chances
• The people of this tribe are famous for their good looks. What do you think?
• Generations of nomads have roamed the deserts and grasslands of central Africa. From Niger to the C.A.R. and back again

• Once upon a time, John Chapman planted 1200 acres of apple trees throughout the U.S.You might know him by a different name
• When the weather turns cold…It’s time to heat up the oven
• Food of the dead, prize for ancient heroes, bane of doctors everywhere:This humble fruit is kind of a big deal
• The world crop of apples averages about 32,000,000 apples per year, and one-fourth of that goes to make cider.It’s that time of year, you know

• One of the most surprising things about this remote, pristine lake…Is how accessible it is
• From honeymooners to Olympic athletes and everyone in between…See why the world loves this place
• Why are glacial lakes such a perfect shade of blue?Elves dye them (just kidding)
• Some call this view the Twenty-Dollar View because it was featured on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill.Where is it?

• Christopher Columbus named the natives of this island “Lucayans.”What was their real name?
• On this day in 1492, Columbus took a break from the ocean blue.Welcome to the New World, Chris
• What did the sailors on the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María see when they finally made landfall?Paradise, baby
• Some people visit this place to study the impact of colonialism on global culture through the centuries.Isn’t that why you go to the beach?

• Active volcanoes cause a lot of trouble…Are extinct ones nice enough to make up for it?
• Why make do with just one view of this mountain?36 more are waiting for you
• Want to gross out your friends and add seven years to your life at the same time?It’s really easy
• Hot springs, botanical gardens, art museums, and a full-scale replica of a man-of-war pirate ship?That sounds great — where is it?

• The Devil’s Hole pupfish is only found in a 92°F pool in a cave in this park.What park is it?
• Can you name the top 10 lowest places on Earth?What about the highest?
• What happens when a con man and his mark end up becoming best friends?There’s a castle involved
• Miners dug so much borax out of the mines here that they needed 20 mules to pull each wagonload.Where is it?

• Why does this city need 1,500 bridges and viaducts?Find out
• Would your diary inspire millions to try to be better people?This girl probably didn’t think hers would
• Can you guess which resident of this place has a toothpaste named after him?He’s famous worldwide
• Around 600,00 of this city’s 750,000 residents use bicycles as their main mode of transportation.Where is it?

• Which of history’s mysterious militias built a wee hermitage here in the 900s?Get to know the Knights
• Jet to Europe and tramp the coastline, indulge your senses, and live only for the moment.Or take a visual vacation, at least
• Legend says that if you ring the bell at the top of this 237-step climb, you get to make a wish.Where do wishes come true?
• Where can you find dramatic vistas like this around every corner?”Find out

• Winter, spring, summer, or fallIt’s always pretty here
• Acqui, Asti, Barbaresco, Barolo, Dogliani, Gattinara, Gavi, Ghemme, Roero, …Can you guess this region’s most famous export?
• First they named the castle after a nobleman, then they named a prize after the castle.What prize? What castle?
• Some of this country’s richest farmland is here (it’s great for grapes).Can you guess where it is?

• What is a Pantanal complex, anyway?Hint: not a new kind of psychological disorder
• Would you let this giant rodent sit in your lap?Would you feed it popsicles?
• Some unkind folks call this creature a water hog.Its real name is much fancier
• This shy critter lives in the world’s largest wetland.Where is it?

• The world of televised comedy changed forever on this day in 1969.It was a great day for all humankind
• Python fans know this castle as the Castle Aaarrrggghhh, but its real name is almost as good.What is it?
• This picturesque medieval castle became famous worldwide thanks to one movie.A solemn retelling of the King Arthur legend
• You can only visit this romantic, ancient castle if you make an appointment and the tides are right.Where is it?

• Can you tell a Holstein from a Hereford? A Brangus from a Brahman?Cows are more complex than you might imagine
• Cows are only the tip of the sightseeing iceberg that is the UK.Let this guy show you around
• What do these shaggy beasts have in common with King Arthur?They’re from the same part of town
• This fellow lives in one of the wildest, most remote parts of the UK.Where is it?

• Between the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics…This city is going to see a lot of sports fans
• Long after the girl from Ipanema retired her bikini…The beach she walked along is going strong
• What does a steamy Brazilian night sound like?It’s got a rhythm you just can’t resist
• Where can you find the largest stadium in South America?They built it to host the 1950 World Cup

• This city’s armies once conquered most of Asia Minor and brought them under the rule of the governess Zenobia.Where did she live?
• You might feel a little overwhelmed by the thought of traveling in this exotic land.But Peter Marshall will help you
• Civilization in this part of the world stretches continuously from the present day back to the Stone Age.Learn more about this venerable place
• This city lies at the midpoint between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River.Where is it?

• What government organization cleared trails and built facilities here that today’s tourists still enjoy?Does CCC sound familiar?
• Could you find your way home if you got lost in the woods?It’s never too late to learn
• You can walk behind four of the ten waterfalls that give the Trail of Ten Falls its name.The trail runs for miles through Oregon’s largest state park
• This waterfall plunges 177 feet from the cliff top to the pool below.Where is it?