The Desert of Maine – An Unusual Tourist Attraction
The Desert of Maine, a 40-something-acre patch of sand and silt near the town of Freeport, is a geological oddity, natural wonder, and a warning of what irresponsible land use can create. The “most famous natural phenomenon in Maine” is actually the result of poor land management over several generations. Although not technically a desert […]
Johatsu – Japan’s Evaporated People
People vanish from their established lives all the time, but nowhere is this phenomenon as prevalent as in Japan, a country that has even devised a term for the phenomenon – “johatsu”. The most common reasons that drive people to disappear without a trace are exactly the ones you’re probably thinking about – inescapable debts, […]
Cuban Painted Snails – Probably the World’s Most Beautiful Gastropods
Out of the roughly 1,400 species of land snails that call Cuba home, the six species of the genus Polymita, fondly known as painted snails, are without a doubt the most eye-catching. When it comes to snail per se, there’s probably no beating the spectacular red-and-black contrast of the Malaysian fire snail, but as far […]