quote [ By the time of Albert Kahn?s death in 1940, the French banker and philanthropist had amassed a collection of more than 72,000 autochrome photographs. Grace Linden explores the Archives de la Planète ? his sprawling, global project to document and preserve the fast-changing world ? and uncovers a latent nostalgia in the hyperreal hues of early color photography. ]

quote [ In 1863, German-American inventor and engineer Julius Hermann Kroehl founded the Pacific Pearl Company with the goal of profiting from pearl fishing in the Pacific. To streamline this labour-intensive process, he began constructing a submarine specifically designed to aid in oyster collection. ]

quote [ Speculation about what happened to the "Mary Celeste," found empty on this day in 1872, was so rife that even famed author Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a sensational short story about it ]

quote [ A new paper published in the journal Communications Psychology examines the acoustical elements of the unique shrieking sounds produced by those whistles, as well as how human listeners are emotionally affected by the sounds. The findings support the hypothesis that such whistles may have been used in Aztec religious rituals or perhaps as mythological symbols. ]

quote [ For centuries, physicians and scientists have dissected human bodies to understand human anatomy, with a steady supply of cadavers often sourced from executions. In medieval times, numerous people were executed even for minor crimes, offering medical students and surgeons a reliable supply. ]

quote [ Reading is a form of necromancy, a way to summon and commune once again with the dead, but in what ersatz temple should such a ritual take place? Andrew Hui tracks the rise of the private study by revisiting the bibliographic imaginations of Machiavelli, Montaigne, and W. E. B. Du Bois, and finds a space where words mediate the world and the self. ]

quote [ On the history and psychology of free samples?from free bars of soap to free AOL?and why you can no longer get drunk in Gatlinburg for free. ]

quote [ "Instead of establishing new narratives that might also misrepresent these people's experiences, the genetic results encourage reflection on the dangers of making up stories about gender and family relationships in past societies based on present-day expectations," he said. ]

quote [ Monsters once lived at the heart of pop culture, albeit during what was arguably the weirdest time to be alive: the Middle Ages. In intrepid, faraway lands you?d find them: neckless men with their faces in their stomachs ? known as ?blemmyae? ? or yet another being, known as a ?panotti?, with ears big enough to wrap around its body like a blanket. ]

quote [ n the midst of war, when nations are locked in bitter conflict, cooperation seems unimaginable. Yet, history offers surprising instances where enemies, driven by necessity, momentarily set aside their hostilities to strike a deal. ]