We can now look into the (reconstructed) face of the “Huarmey Queen,” a noblewoman who died roughly 1,200 years ago in what is now Peru. A weaver, she was buried with jewelry and other fancy accoutrements. She is my queen.
Sharbat Gula, the young Afghan girl featured on a 1985 National Geographic cover, was arrested today in Pakistan on charges of fraudulently obtaining national identity cards for herself and her family.
Like any city, Los Angeles has its upsides and drawbacks. One major benefit of living in Los Angeles, I’m learning, are the pretty fancy and very free cocktails parties that accompany film screenings.
Ever wonder what the car exhaust and UV rays you soak up while walking to work and/or stuck in traffic are doing to your body? Bad news! They're very likely aging you before your time, just like your grueling work schedule and loud-ass neighbors.
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on the planet, so it should come as no surprise that watching them run at top speed is nothing short of impressive, but did you know that it could also be stunningly beautiful? National Geographic, with the help of the Cincinnati Zoo, built a dolly with the special purpose of…
In a move that has brought shame upon the noble profession of rodeo announcing, a lone moe-ron at a small California rodeo has set back mainstream acceptance of airbrushed cowboy hats with hot pink feathered roach clips attached to them by decades. During a rootin', tootin' jamboree this weekend, the announcer made a…
Ever wondered just how common your last name is? Well, the folks at National Geographic are offering up this super fascinating map that allows you to zoom in on different areas of the country and see what the most common surnames are and what their probably provenance is. It's fascinating to see not only the effects…
Lynea Lattanzio is the subject of an upcoming National Geographic special called The Lady With 700 Cats. She runs the largest no-cage, no-kill cat refuge in the state of California, complete with a nursery, intensive care unit, and even a retirement home for her elderly feline friends.
In this week's compilation of pop culture crap: a horrifying cornucopia of full-frontal nudity, Elisabeth Hasselback, and sad cats.
Looks like someone at NatGeo is having a little fun this morning. [National Geographic]
At about minute 4 of this video, a National Geographic editor gets beaten up by a kangaroo. Don't worry, neither animal nor editor is hurt in filming. [National Geographic via AdAge]
This photograph of a "fairy-fly wasp" was taken by M.I. "Spike" Walker and awarded first prize in this year's Olympus "BioScapes" competition, a photography contest that "recognizes extraordinary microscope photos of plants, animals, and other life-forms." The photographs are stunningly beautiful; it's amazing to…
An image of a snow leopard in India from National Geographic was named Best Overall Photo in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Steve Winter, who took the shot, says, "This is the hardest story I have ever done because of the altitude and the steepness of the mountains. At night it was 30 below…
Remember our old friend Wilma, the Neanderthal? You may have noticed that she preferred a more natural look in her National Geographic photoshoot, but like any newly-minted celebrity she had to take a trip down Project Runway's design challenge lane to score some new digs. The "Pop Omnivore" blog at National Geographic…
To celebrate the premiere of the 20th season (can you believe it's been 20 friggin' years!?) of The Simpsons, National Geographic interviewed our feminist hero Lisa Simpson about the environment. When asked if she subscribes to the magazine, she answered, "No, but we’d read it in the library, if we ever went to the…
Want to look into the eyes of our female ancestors? Meet Wilma, the first model of a Neanderthal based on DNA evidence and created by artists and scientists for the October issue of National Geographic. Wilma's creators used replicas of pelvis and skull bones from Neanderthal females as well as re-sized copies of male…
The season premiere of DogTown, a National Geographic Channel show that follows rescued dogs at the largest no-kill animal facility in the U.S. by the same name, will have an extra-special focus tonight: The pit bulls rescued from Atlanta Falcons quarterback and kennel/dog fight ring operator, Michael Vick. The…
A tipster sent us this link to a story about cholitas, female wrestlers in Bolivia, who wear petticoats and bowler hats. The slideshow of photographs by Ivan Kashinsky is absolutely stunning; but be sure and read the accompanying article, as well. "Sometimes my daughters ask why I insist on doing this," one cholita…
Remember yesterday's post about Wayne Bent, aka Michael Travesser, the prophet of a cult called the Lord Our Righteousness Church who was arrested on charges of child molestation? Well last night, the National Geographic Channel aired a documentary about Travesser and the LORs, and lordy lordy, it was bonkers. This…
