Gemma Tarlach

Senior Editor and Writer at Atlas Obscura

Writer. Science journalist. Atlas Obscura senior editor. Storyteller. Wanderer. Dog guardian. Bee steward. Slow hiker. Forest creature. Plantigrade tetrapod.

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Articles

Animal Courtships: Our Favorite Reads

2 months ago | atlasobscura.com | Eric Grundhauser |Ashley Stimpson |Gemma Tarlach |Roxanne Hoorn

Having trouble landing a date? Take some tips from the animal kingdom. In these stories, meet the peacock spider that shakes its electric-blue butt to Beyoncé, the squid that puts on a seductive color show, and the fish whose guttural mating call can wake up a city. Peacock spiders are particularly great dancers, shaking and shimmying their colorful abdomens to woo over mates.
2024 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition Winners

Oct 17, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Gemma Tarlach

A tiny structure on the leaf of a cannabis plant appears as a fairy-tale tree adorned with purple bubbles for leaves. A green crab spider, which could comfortably sit on a kernel of corn, seems to train four of its eight eyes directly on you. Brain tumor cells, colored in vivid green and purple on a black background, look like a moody floral abstract.
The Wild Tale of the Cerutti Mastodon, a Fossil That Could Rewrite the Human Story

Aug 1, 2024 | newsbreak.com | Gemma Tarlach

The leading platform for local news and information. By using cutting-edge technology that learns users’ preferences to curate tailored content for them, NewsBreak gathers community-focused news and information from over 10,000 sources in a timely, accessible, and easy-to-use way at no cost to users. NewsBreak does not allow any content that expresses hate or promotes false information. Instead, we strive to give businesses, communities, and users accurate and reliable local news and information.
The Wild Tale of the Cerutti Mastodon, a Fossil That Could Rewrite the Human Story

Aug 1, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Gemma Tarlach

California’s highway State Route 54, skirting southeast of San Diego, doesn’t seem like it would be the catalyst for challenging some of the longest-held ideas about human evolution and our spread across the planet. And yet, in 1992, along SR 54’s ribbons of asphalt and exit ramps to malls, taco joints, and subdivisions, road-widening construction unearthed a fossil that could rewrite the human story—if scientists ever stop arguing about it.
The Wild Tale of the Cerutti Mastodon, a Fossil That Could Rewrite the Human Story

Aug 1, 2024 | flipboard.com | Gemma Tarlach

Florida Panther Goes Head To Head With Invasive Python In Extremely Rare EncounterTwo of Florida's heavy hitters... the battle of all battles. One of the most dangerous, non-venomous snakes in North America and one of the most …
5 Atlas Obscura Podcast Episodes to Get You into a Summer Camp State of Mind

May 27, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Gemma Tarlach

Summer is here and we are all for recapturing the vibe of the season from our childhoods, when school was out, the days were long and sunny, and the nights were perfect for campfires, storytelling, and s’mores. Of course, not everyone can head out to the nearest idyllic cabin beside a lake, or pack a tent and disappear into the woods. If you’re stuck at your desk, you can still escape, for a quarter-hour or so, into some of our favorite episodes of the award-winning Atlas Obscura Podcast.
How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

Apr 29, 2024 | newsbreak.com | Gemma Tarlach

Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

Apr 29, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Gemma Tarlach

They never saw it coming. For the small bands of hunter-gatherers across Africa and Eurasia, the day was like any other. Some tracked great herds of migrating animals across expansive grasslands; others moved through dense rainforests, or along the banks of turgid rivers and ephemeral streambeds. Survival—finding food and water, avoiding predators, strengthening the small group’s social bonds—was the order of the day.
When did dogs become our best friends?

Apr 28, 2024 | newsbreak.com | Gemma Tarlach

Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
When did dogs become our best friends?

Apr 28, 2024 | bigthink.com | Gemma Tarlach

The river known today as the Adige, the second-longest in Italy, flows south and then east from the Alps to the Adriatic. As it travels around hills and through flatlands, the river meanders widely, sometimes nearly looping back on itself. The city of Verona took root and grew around one of these meanders more than 2,000 years ago and, around that time, not far from the banks, an infant was laid to rest in a humble grave. She did not go into the afterlife completely alone, however.