Dissecting the human nervous system is a taxing task—and in some cases, very little is known about the people whose bodies wound up on anatomists' tables.In This Storymight pick up the sound of ping-pong balls skittering across a table. If she could smell, she might detect a range of lunches being reheated in a nearby microwave. If her eyes could see, she might let them wander a busted Pac-Man machine, a TV, and a campus bookstore, decorated with a swooping, celebratory paper chain, like an elementary-school version of DNA’s double helix. She might even catch a glimpse of herself in a...…Dissecting the human nervous system is a taxing task—and in some cases, very little is known about the people whose bodies wound up on anatomists' tables.In This Storymight pick up the sound of ping-pong balls skittering across a table. If she could smell, she might detect a range of lunches being reheated in a nearby microwave. If her eyes could see, she might let them wander a busted Pac-Man machine, a TV, and a campus bookstore, decorated with a swooping, celebratory paper chain, like an elementary-school version of DNA’s double helix. She might even catch a glimpse of herself in a...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .A rare hello!In This Storyup in the San Francisco Bay area, Greg Pauly sometimes found himself running an accidental rehabilitation center for wayward reptiles out of his parents’ house. One neighbor wasn’t particularly sold on the squamates that lived around her yard, he recalls, but her cats, Crackers, Peepers, and Stinkers, kept intercepting them and delivering them to her. Pauly remembers that she paid him a dollar to take the unwelcome gifts off her hands, so he adopted the “three-legged, no tail” lizards as pets.These maimed reptiles were , roughly eight inches...…Want to see fewer ads? .A rare hello!In This Storyup in the San Francisco Bay area, Greg Pauly sometimes found himself running an accidental rehabilitation center for wayward reptiles out of his parents’ house. One neighbor wasn’t particularly sold on the squamates that lived around her yard, he recalls, but her cats, Crackers, Peepers, and Stinkers, kept intercepting them and delivering them to her. Pauly remembers that she paid him a dollar to take the unwelcome gifts off her hands, so he adopted the “three-legged, no tail” lizards as pets.These maimed reptiles were , roughly eight inches...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .This creature, birthed in Cambridge's Harvard Yard after a blizzard in 1978, isn't it.In This Storythe outcome and aftermath of a recent election, voters in Massachusetts have been electing another official. The job description is vague, the duties negligible. The gig is mainly as a figurehead, which is good, because the candidates aren’t particularly revved up about representing their constituents. They demonstrate astonishingly little interest in local government. In fact, they’ve been dead for millions of years.If Massachusetts Representative Jack Patrick Lewis...…Want to see fewer ads? .This creature, birthed in Cambridge's Harvard Yard after a blizzard in 1978, isn't it.In This Storythe outcome and aftermath of a recent election, voters in Massachusetts have been electing another official. The job description is vague, the duties negligible. The gig is mainly as a figurehead, which is good, because the candidates aren’t particularly revved up about representing their constituents. They demonstrate astonishingly little interest in local government. In fact, they’ve been dead for millions of years.If Massachusetts Representative Jack Patrick Lewis...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .From high in the sky, the colors of the landscape are plainly visible.In This Storybut much of it is also ruddy or yellow. The state is home to , , and a grove of , with canary-colored canopies and white trunks. But in northwest Utah, near the Promontory Mountains and the edge of the Great Salt Lake, things get much more colorful.This photograph, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in July 2020, depicts some salt pans that abut the Great Salt Lake. One portion looks like melted raspberry sherbet, another a more subdued dusty rose. There are a...…Want to see fewer ads? .From high in the sky, the colors of the landscape are plainly visible.In This Storybut much of it is also ruddy or yellow. The state is home to , , and a grove of , with canary-colored canopies and white trunks. But in northwest Utah, near the Promontory Mountains and the edge of the Great Salt Lake, things get much more colorful.This photograph, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in July 2020, depicts some salt pans that abut the Great Salt Lake. One portion looks like melted raspberry sherbet, another a more subdued dusty rose. There are a...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .1960s-era photos show the structure being swallowed by dunes.In This Storythe middle of September, Josh Smith started digging. Sometimes, the three-person crew used a track excavator; other times, they wielded shovels. They dug all day, then a few more. They removed shovelfuls of fine sand so that their hole would have gently sloping sides, like an amphitheater or a bowl. They knew that if they dug straight down, the walls could collapse in on them.The town of Freeport, Maine, is known for outlet malls that include a 24-hour L. L. Bean. But beyond its cathedral of...…Want to see fewer ads? .1960s-era photos show the structure being swallowed by dunes.In This Storythe middle of September, Josh Smith started digging. Sometimes, the three-person crew used a track excavator; other times, they wielded shovels. They dug all day, then a few more. They removed shovelfuls of fine sand so that their hole would have gently sloping sides, like an amphitheater or a bowl. They knew that if they dug straight down, the walls could collapse in on them.The town of Freeport, Maine, is known for outlet malls that include a 24-hour L. L. Bean. But beyond its cathedral of...WW…