Jessica Leigh Hester

Jul 31, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Jessica Leigh Hester

Last night, in Paris, thunderstorms threatened to pummel the Seine. The men’s triathlon had already been postponed after levels of bacteria in the river measured high, and more rain would have made it worse. Downpours can sweep trash and grime into the river and overwhelm treatment plants as well as old combined pipes where stormwater mingles with wastewater; even the massive tanks Paris installed to keep that mess from pouring into the Seine can be bested by pounding rains.

Jan 26, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Jennifer Byrne |Jessica Leigh Hester |Diana Hubbell |Rachel Glassberg

In the United States and Canada, February 2 is Groundhog Day, that odd mid-winter ode to a particular rodent and its shadow. In the United Kingdom, February 1 or 2 are sometimes called Hedgehog Day, a bit of old folklore about that creature’s weather predicting abilities that has enjoyed a renaissance in the internet era.

Dec 29, 2023 | atlasobscura.com | Frank Jacobs |Big Think |Jessica Leigh Hester |Colin Dickey

At Atlas Obscura, we’re obsessed with the unknown. Whether it’s a tale of ghostly murder that still induces chills two centuries later or a taxidermy marvel that seems to defy reason, we love a rabbit hole with no clear end in sight.

Dec 1, 2023 | atlasobscura.com | Anika Burgess |Jessica Leigh Hester |Dan Nosowitz |Sara Murphy

If you find everything on your loved ones’ wishlists online this year, you might miss out on the most interesting part of the holiday experience—stores themselves. Or maybe not. Our gift to you this holiday season: the best shopping stories from the Atlas Obscura archives, so you can explore tales of architecture, linguistics, subcultures, secrets, and yes, cats—without leaving home.

Nov 16, 2023 | atlasobscura.com | Jessica Leigh Hester

An Atlantic cod is suspended in alcohol in a clear, rectangular container. It’s one of a smattering of specimens, all floating on shelves beneath the massive ribs of long-dead whales. This room in the University Museum of Bergen, a natural history museum on Norway’s western coast, is purpose-built to hold marvels from the sea. Cod isn’t as startling or unfamiliar as the fish that dwell in the ultra-dark deep and look alien to our landlubbing eyes.