Science

In Short: A Grand Canyon in Antarctica, Brett Ratner photographs the homeless

Posted by:

Enjoy these fascinating reads from across the internet:

  • Scientists have discovered a geologic feature in Antarctica … that is the size of the Grand Canyon. [Atlantic Wire]
    .
  • At TEDGlobal 2009, economist Paul Romer shared his vision of “charter cities.” As the first one is being debated and planned in Honduras, the fourth-poorest country in the Western hemisphere, here is a great overview of the concept, as well as the controversy surrounding it. [VOXXI]
    .
  • Writer Seth Stevenson presents a “grand unified theory of Olympic mascots.” The short of it: the one-eyed mascots for the London Games are terrifying. [Slate]
    .
  • Action-movie director Brett Ratner has taken portraits of the men and women who’ve sought help from Chrysalis, the Los Angeles nonprofit that helps the homeless find work. Ratner also shares why he got involved with the organization — because his father was homeless, too. [Hollywood Reporter]
    .
  • With the NASA rover Curiosity just days away from reaching Mars, a look at the creative ways space exploration organizations “have parachuted, retro-rocketed, and otherwise smashed really expensive equipment into faraway planetary bodies.” [Popular Science]
    .
  • Artist Georgia O’Keefe may be known for over-sized flowers, but she also painted many cityscapes too, beautifully rendering the unique slivers of space between tall buildings. [Isak]

Photo: Shutterstock