The Ancient Art of Glassblowing

The fascinating art of glassblowing involves fire, molten sand, a long blowpipe, and an intricate and painstaking process. The technique dates back to the first century BC, and possibly to Sidon (now coastal Lebanon), where glassblowing is said to have been invented.
From there, the art spread to the Roman Empire, and then to the rest of the world. Glassblowing is still practiced today and involves mastering an array of complicated techniques. But most of all, glassblowers must be able to carry out each step with delicacy and precision

The Spellbinding Tilework Mosaics of Iranian Architecture

Vibrant jewel-like colors, intricate geometric patterns, graceful arches, majestic domes, and delicate latticework. These are some of the features we associate with Iranian (or Persian) architecture, which is undoubtedly some of the most beautiful in the world.

Backdrop to Reality: The Brilliantly Colored Graffiti Murals of El Salvador

The Central American country of El Salvador is a great place to visit. Not only is the land itself both beautiful and striking, but the culture is fascinating and colorful. There is a flipside to any coin, however, and in El Salvador it is war and crime. With one of the highest murder rates in the Americas and constant problems with gangs, El Salvador has plenty of issues to address. Yet these seemingly contradictory realities offer a compelling backdrop to any visit. And one of the best insights into the light and dark aspects of life in El Salvador is provided by the street art murals found all over the country, from small hamlets in the mountains, to the capital city of San Salvador.

10 Vintage Nursing Recruitment Posters from WWI (World War I)

 

It's amazing what posters can tell us about the era in which they were produced. World War I saw death and destruction on a scale never seen before, and the governments involved spent considerable energy recruiting people to aid in the war effort. Naturally, nurses were needed as well as soldiers.

Worlds Within Worlds: Incredible Nano Images Invisible to the Naked Eye

Strange alien looking worlds exist all around us in startling shapes and textures, but we so rarely get to see them. Since 2010, the FEI Electron Microscope Company has held an annual competition to judge the best scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), DualBeam and focused ion beam (FIB) images taken using their equipment. The resulting submissions are diverse – from plant anatomy and synthetically manufactured minerals, to the kind of bacteria shots seen here.

The Return of Propeller Aircraft: Why Turboprops Are Making a Comeback

Think of propellers and you might immediately conjure images of Indiana Jones, World War II flying aces and creaky crop dusters.

10 Worst High-Rise Building Collapses in History

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The sudden, terrifying collapse of huge buildings has caused countless tragedies throughout history, highlighting the importance of sound, safe and ethical engineering. Seemingly rock-solid structures all over the world have cracked, split, and disintegrated right beneath people’s feet

The Awesome Graffiti of Belgium’s Doomed Ghost Town

It’s eerie feeling: walking down the streets of a modern town where no one – or almost no one – lives. The roads are still usable, many of the houses look habitable, yet there is barely a car to be seen, certainly not moving, and the rooms behind the windows are all but empty. This is the abandoned village of Doel, in Belgium, a place one recent visitor described as “the most spooky place I have ever been; real shiver down the spine stuff.”