Chellema Qolus

My Himalayan journey – trekking to Shangri-La

For those who want to see the high Himalayas, but are wary of their steepest passes, the Miyar Valley makes a great trip<p>At the top of the Miyar Valley in the high Himalayas, a chain of seven tiny turquoise pools nestle below the snout of a formidable glacier. Each one looks deceptively inviting. We …

Beethoven String Quartet no. 8 in Em, op. 59 no. 2

performed by the Artemis Quartet, or below by the Alban Berg Quartet<p>(cover image by Francisco De Legarreta C.)<p>We find ourselves now at the second of …

The Bourbon Restoration

Following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, France’s Bourbon monarchy was restored. It was the first, fragile step in a diminished state’s return to the …

Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism

Flip a switch and shut down seizures?

New research suggests how to turn off out-of-control signaling in the brain.<p><i>By Rochelle Hines, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of</i> …

Churchill's earliest foe was his German tutor

At the age of just 12, Winston Churchill wrote a letter to his mother declaring that his childhood enemy was a 'stealing, lying, catchpenny' tyrannical tutor whom she was planning to hire during his summer holidays.<p>While it is normal for a boy to protest vehemently about such extra coaching, the …

New Research Indicates That Water-Worlds Are Astonishingly Common Among Exoplanets

It has been estimated that around 35 percent of the larger exoplanets that have been detected most likely hold large reserves of water on them.<p>New …

How will the universe end?

One of the furthest reaches of time we dare to predict is the end of the universe. As far as we know this is the end of not only life as we know it …

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is probably right about multiple dimensions

Madeleine L’Engle’s acclaimed science fantasy novel, now a multi-million dollar film - ‘A wrinkle in Time’ tells the story of a young girl’s journey through space and time in search of her father. Although science fiction, L’Engle’s classic has strong roots in certain principles of Physics. The …

Review Roundup

Mmmmm, Saturday. It's so loving and comfortable and squishable. I just wanna hug it all day. In fact, I think I will. *warmfuzzyhugs for …

Khajuraho Monuments in India

Pan Copulating With a Goat<p>This sculpture is one of Naples’s most prized artworks, and when it traveled to the UK a couple of years ago for the …

Bronzes Found in Germany Show Reach of Roman Empire

BERLIN, GERMANY—According to an <i>Artnet News</i> report, a court has ruled that a farmer who owned the land in central Germany where a 2,000-year-old …

Elizabeth Warren's plan to fix capitalism and give more power to workers | The Resistance Now

<i>The Resistance Now is a weekly update on the people, action and ideas driving the protest movement in the US. If you’re not already receiving it by email, subscribe.</i><p><b>The Warren Plan</b><p>Elizabeth Warren this week introduced a plan for legislation that would rein in big business, redistribute wealth and …

This Ultrahot Exoplanet Has Metallic Skies

For the first time ever, astronomers have found iron and titanium in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. The exoplanet, named …

A guide to exploring Amsterdam’s artsy neighbourhoods by foot

There’s something about wandering through the streets of a city that transforms an ordinary day into an intrepid adventure. From the captivating …

Will Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series embrace J.R.R. Tolkien’s original vision?

Amazon Studios is making a TV series set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth; rumor has it that it’ll be about a young Aragorn, the character played by …

New Tabletop Tokens Make Building 'Dungeons Dragons' Encounter Maps a Breeze

A new set of tabletop tokens makes planning your next <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> session a breeze.<p>One of the more tedious parts about planning a <i>Dungeons &</i> …

As a longtime Spotify devotee, I'm always shocked people don't know about one of its best features — here's how to use it

With nearly 200 million monthly users — of which a staggering <i>83 million</i> are paid subscribers — Spotify is one of the most popular music services in the world.<p>It's easy to understand why Spotify is so big. As a longtime paid subscriber, I have universally positive things to say about the streaming …

Enceladus' water plumes contain life clues

Enceladus - February 15 2016<br>(Image by Kevin M. Gill) Permission Details DMCA<p>If even simple life is found on a moon, not even a planet, it would at …

Stacking concrete blocks is a surprisingly efficient way to store energy

Thanks to the modern electric grid, you have access to electricity whenever you want. But the grid only works when electricity is generated in the same amounts as it is consumed. That said, it’s impossible to get the balance right all the time. So operators make grids more flexible by adding ways …

This is the most insane way to be smarter, confident, and resilient

That critical voice in your head. Always telling you how you’re screwing up. Always putting the worst-case-scenario front and center. We all have it. …

The Wheelchair Has Been Stylishly Re-Invented

For some individuals, a wheelchair is their primary mode of transportation, and as well as enabling them to get from point A to point B, it …

It’s as dry as the desert down there—what the heck is going on?

Recently, some friends and I found ourselves discussing the TMI topic of vaginal lubrication. (No overshare is off limits for me, whether you’re a …

Google clarifies how it still tracks you when Location History is turned off

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen some headlines this week talking about how Google is tracking users even when they have Location History turned off. In all reality, that’s been going on for quite some time, but the way Google explained everything made it seem like users …

The Secret Meanings Behind the Beasts in a Medieval Menagerie

In Middle Age Europe, animals were popular storytellers.<p>In the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, amid a vast collection of medieval texts, …

5 Modern Muggle Board Games We Think Ravenclaws Would Love

After a hard day of learning, it’s time to take a break. What better way than to take in the spectacular views from one of the windows in Ravenclaw …

The Secret to Ant Efficiency Is Idleness

ScienceTake<p>By James Gorman<p>Ants are renowned for their industriousness. Ask the grasshopper in the story by Aesop. He had to come begging the hard-working ant for food when winter came because he had frittered away his summer.<p>But that is fable, the ultimate in what scientists call anecdotal …

Is it possible to unclog your arteries? An expert reveals the answer…

Weight gain may seem like the biggest side effect of an unhealthy diet and poor lifestyle choices – however, one risk you may not be thinking about …

The baking Pacific Ocean is changing the weather on the Southern California coast

Ocean temperatures off the Southern California coast have been profoundly warm in August, with a number of all-time high temperatures recorded in San …