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Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

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The true story of how Margaretha Zelle became Mata Hari

Even as a child in northern Holland, she stood out: flamboyant, striking in appearance, bold, and gifted. As an adult, she became one of the most glamorous, fascinating, and desirable women in Paris. Then, the counterespionage world came calling.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA/CXC/MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE/F.WINKLER

'Lost' witness accounts add a twist to the tale of an ancient supernova

In April of A.D. 1006, a brilliant new star appeared in the sky without warning. It was described by witnesses in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and maybe even in North American petroglyphs. Now, two recently discovered accounts are adding fresh details to the brightest supernova in recorded history.

THE NEW DETAILS

PHOTOGRAPH BY JR ANCHETA UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

The life story of a woolly mammoth, reconstructed in stunning detail

For the first time, scientists have translated the chemicals in a 17,000-year-old tusk to reveal a prehistoric biography of unprecedented richness: from birth, to when it left the herd, to how it died, retracing its footsteps across Ice Age Alaska over 28 years.

THE LIFE OF 'KIK'

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF IDAHO FISH AND GAME

Why beavers were parachuted into the Idaho wilderness 73 years ago

The traditional way of relocating "nuisance" beavers in the 1940s wasn't working. To increase the survival rate, one conservation officer turned to—yes—parachutes. Luckily for us, the unusual journey was captured on film.

WATCH THE VIDEO

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN ODESS

How long have humans lived in the Americas? These 'ghost tracks' could tell us.

Exactly when and how humans populated the Americas has been fiercely debated for nearly a century. These prints—which may date to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago—mark the latest addition to a growing body of evidence that it happened thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

IT'S CONTROVERSIAL

QUOTE

A discovery like this is very close to finding the Holy Grail.

Ciprian Ardelean, archaeologist

From: How long have humans lived in the Americas? These 'ghost tracks' could tell us.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG CUTLER

This surreal 'fish bunker' tells an urgent story

It's a horror movie director's dream of a natural history collection: nearly 8 million specimens of dead fish soaked in alcohol, in tightly sealed jars of assorted sizes, lined up on shelves that rise 10 feet high and run 36 feet long, in row after row after row.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY KYLE JOHNSON

The rugged past and fragile future of Alaska's roadhouses

Thousands of gold miners, trappers, and other fortune seekers streamed into the U.S. Territory of Alaska in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and these roadhouses—about 3,000 of them—served multiple purposes: as inns, saloons, trading posts, and post offices. Now, only a few dozen remain.

MORE GREAT READS

Do insects have feelings? (BBC) ››

Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki prepares to cast one last spell (New York Times) ››

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