At HarperCollins, a lot of attention and thought is given to deciding exactly what combinations of margin measurements, font, and layout feel most appropriate for the genre, and writing style. But in a case of do-your-part environmentalism, designers at the publishing house have now standardized a series of subtle and…

A tomb dating to the middle of the Ming Dynasty has been excavated in the Chinese province of Shanxi, revealing a wealth of exquisitely preserved funerary objects that tell the story of imperial life. Belonging to a court official, even the exterior facade of the tomb is in excellent condition,…

Two firms in Boston have just laid the foundations of a large building using a USA-made zero-carbon cement mixture, representing one of the first adoptions of this technology in the real world. Many companies are testing or subsidizing low/zero carbon cement and concrete hoping to reduce their carbon footprint, but…

60 years ago today, Beatlemania was in full bloom as the band held every one of the top five spots on the US singles chart. The Beatles packed the Billboard Hot 100 with Please Please Me, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Roll Over Beethoven, Love Me Do—and at No.1…

When I was young, backpacking through Europe with my sister, we took a train into Paris completely unaware that the Seine had flooded the city, and the train workers were on strike. Most travelers lack immediate access to travel intelligence information or communication capabilities that may be critical in the…

The stunningly well-preserved remains of a castle have been dug up in the French city of Vannes, Brittany, at the foot of a private hotel. The operation was carried out as part of preventive archaeology prior to the construction of the future Museum of Fine Arts of the City of…

In a difficult part of Kenya’s sprawling capital city of Nairobi, an unlikely sport has taken hold of the passions of young people, offering them an alternative to drugs, violence, or crime. That sport is fencing, and despite the fact that the Tsavora Fencing Club sometimes struggles to keep well…

From the sprawling urban city-state of Singapore comes the unlikely story of a critically endangered songbird and a dedicated group of environmentalists helping it thrive as the population collapses overseas. The straw-headed bulbul is a victim of its beautiful song, which has seen it extirpated from the wilds of Thailand,…

Happy Birthday to Dame Jane Goodall who turns 90 years old today. The beloved British primatologist first observed chimpanzees creating tools in 1960 (and 2 years earlier had been a secretary). It was the first time that an animal was observed to modify an object to create a tool for…

On an island off the coast of an island, a local grocer’s big error turned into a successful national charity event. Dan Dafydd wanted 80 chocolate Easter eggs for the shelves at Sinclair General Stores on Sanday, one of the Orkney Islands, but accidentally ordered 80 cases of Easter eggs,…