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Monarch butterflies may look fragile, but every year, hordes of them fly thousands of miles to special wintering grounds in Mexico. In this episode, meet millions of these ethereal orange-and-black travelers in the butterfly sanctuaries of Michoacan.
Taj Mahal: Perfect Symmetry, Almost
by Amanda Arnold | July 15, 2010
Our brains like things that are symmetrical. Even an infant will fixate longer on a face with two perfectly aligned eyes than one that looks like a Cyclops, according to Scientific American. If you ask science, it’ll tell you we’re attracted to symmetrical facial features because they indicate good health. If we mate with that person, our offspring will thrive (our brain thinks).
What I’m saying is that we can’t help but like the look of something — anything — that’s symmetrical. And that’s one reason we find the Taj Mahal beautiful. Just look at the pictures. Not only are the structure’s features symmetrical, but that symmetry is reflected rather symmetrically in the pool of water in front of the building.
Just about everyone has heard about the Taj Mahal, but few know many details about it. And the details of this 460 year old building really are fascinating…
You wouldn’t expect someone who’d fought alongside saintly Jeanne d’Arc to be a serial killer, but Gilles de Rais was a man of contradictions. He killed anywhere from dozens to thousands of children, mostly young boys — and he was terrified that he was going to hell for it.
Wednesday’s podcast was a tale of love, in honor of Valentine’s Day: the story of the Taj Mahal. A 17th-century Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Pantanal is a large wetland area located in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay that’s teeming with plant and animal life. Explore the wild, watery world of the Pantanal with Matt and Rachel in this episode of The Coolest Stuff on the Planet.
From the Opium Wars to the Boston Tea Party, the British East India Company had a profound effect on the course of history. Tune in and learn more about the influence of the British East India Company in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
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