Slow boat to Timbuktu

Source: The Guardian

A travel writer explores the contradictions of Africa’s Niger River as it flows through Mali to the ancient city of Timbuktu.

Silent Darien: The gap in the world’s longest road

Source: BBC

Ambitious travelers hoping to traverse the Americas from Alaska to Argentina can travel the Pan-American Highway, with one notable exception—the impassable Darien Gap in Panama.

Brain scans gauge horror flick fear factor

Source: CNN

Film producer Peter Katz experiments with the use of brain scans to find out just how scary his movies are. Do you think that using medical science in this way interferes with the art of making horror movies?

Food: How Altered?

Source: National Geographic

Learn more about genetically-engineered food in this article of frequently asked questions.

Newborns Can Bond to a “Mother” from a Different Species

Source: Scientific American

Birds of a feather may flock together, but it doesn’t have to be so. Studies show that a newborn animal will bond with whoever is around to take care of it—even if they aren’t the same species.

Meet the Incredible Woman Who Seeks to Be the First Female to Row from Japan to San Francisco

Source: My Modern Met

Learn about Sonya Baumstein’s proposed expedition to row 6,000 nautical miles alone from Choshi, Japan to San Francisco.

Brilliant Time-Lapse of Alaska’s Northern Lights

Source: National Geographic

Watch this amazing video showing time-lapse photography of the Aurora Borealis in Alaska

Beauty Is in the Brain of the Beholder

Source: LiveScience

Studies show that beauty exists as an abstract concept in the brain which implies it is a perception rather than a reality.

In 5 to 10 years, robots will deal with disasters, not humans

Source: WTOP News

Could robots take over from humans in disaster recovery? Scientists at Virginia Tech think so. Learn about their work with robotic disaster response here.

Why Do People Take Risks?

Source: Live Science

According to psychologist Andreas Wilke, people most often take risks within their “domain of daring.”