Andrew Coletti

6 days ago | atlasobscura.com | Andrew Coletti

AO Wants to Know is an ongoing interview series where we ask experts in extraordinary subjects to share their knowledge with us. The inability to notice plants as living parts of the environment is an unfortunately common state of mind that botanists call “plant blindness.” “People just see plants as green,” says plant toxicologist Liz Dauncey. In their minds, plants “don’t do anything. They just sit around.

1 week ago | atlasobscura.com | Andrew Coletti

This article is adapted from the April 16, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. You might be surprised to learn that the edible portion of ginger is not technically a root. It’s a rhizome or “rootstalk,” a modified section of a plant stem that grows laterally underground, sending shoots above and roots below. And common ginger (Zingiber officinale) just might have humanity’s most-beloved rhizome (although its cousin turmeric is a close runner-up).

2 weeks ago | atlasobscura.com | Andrew Coletti

One hundred and fifty million years ago, the swamps of Fujian province in southeastern China teemed with life. Fossils reveal a rich Jurassic ecosystem dubbed the Zhenghe Fauna, where turtles, frogs, and fish filled the waters and feathered dinosaurs stalked or waded on long, slender legs. And flitting about in the trees, there was a tiny creature whose recent discovery has upended our understanding of when and how birds became birds.

2 weeks ago | atlasobscura.com | Andrew Coletti

Courtesy of Amay Borle Ingredients 1 cup dried jave (see first recipe step for instructions how to make them), or short vermicelli noodles 2 tablespoons oil ¼ tablespoon whole cumin seeds Pinch of asafetida powder 1 potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 1½ cups cubed potato) ½ cup frozen or fresh green peas 1 teaspoon turmeric powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon red chili powder ¼ tablespoon garam masala powder 2 ½ cups water Optional toppings for serving (chopped cilantro, lemon or...

3 weeks ago | atlasobscura.com | Andrew Coletti

AO Wants to Know is an ongoing interview series where we ask experts in extraordinary subjects to share their knowledge with us. The kitchen is cluttered in every possible way. The sink is piled with dishes, full trash bags are stacked in the corner, a half-eaten sheet cake has been left out on the table beside a computer. There’s scarcely room for a person to move around, but there are no people here; only things.