Erin Blakemore

Erin Blakemore

 

Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. Her work has appeared in publications like The Washington Post, TIME, mental_floss, Popular Science and JSTOR Daily. Learn more at erinblakemore.com.

Now Available: The Ultimate Old-Timey Playlist

Listen to digitized recordings of wax cylinders, an obsolete technology that revives turn-of-the-century culture

Can you hear me now? Good.

This Ear Was Made With Vincent Van Gogh's DNA

What secrets have been whispered into this creepy, living copy of the most famous ear in art history?

2,600 undelivered letters, 600 of them unopened, were found inside this postmaster's trunk.

This Trunk Stuffed With 17th-Century Letters Is a Historian’s Dream

Recipients never read these letters, but their loss is history’s gain

Hedy Lamarr, mother of modern wifi.

Happy Birthday Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood Star Turned Scientist

The beauty had brains—after all, she invented the tech behind Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS

How the U.S. Census Defines Race

The history of America's racial identity, as told by 225 years of population data

Praise hands, this robot is happy face!

This Keyboard Lets You Type in Emoji

[heart-shaped eyes] + [clapping hands] + [money bag]

The Antares Spacecraft Explosion in Horrifyingly Beautiful Detail

New photos show the grim (yet beautiful) blast

Watch 30 Minutes of Mesmerizing, Ultra-HD Sun

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory stares at the sun so you don't have to

The Russian Imperial Family, as photographed in 1911. The Russian Orthodox Church has not recognized the remains of Maria (second from left) and Alexei (second from right), despite DNA analysis.

Why Russia Is Digging Up The Bones of a 19th-Century Tsar

A new DNA analysis aims to end speculation about the last Romanovs—but hasn't the mystery already been solved?

An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission at Mars.

The Sun Stole Part of Mars' Atmosphere, and NASA Was Watching

Observations from the MAVEN spacecraft should help scientists figure out if and when Mars had the right conditions for life

In the unregulated park, kids encountered alligators without fences, gates or grates.

When Kids Played With Alligators in Los Angeles

Babies, dogs and onlookers mixed with snapping reptiles at California's Alligator Farm

Hidden Poop Joke Found in 17th-Century Art Owned By Queen Elizabeth

The newly restored Dutch painting depicts a man relieving himself

Bonus points if you can find a cat in this picture.

Someone Just Paid $826,000 for the Greatest Cat Painting of All Time

"My Wife's Lovers" pays tribute to the wealthiest cats of the 1890s

Daniel Craig as James Bond escapes villains in the Austrian Alps in Spectre, the latest 007 movie.

The Man With the Golden Passport: Travel the World of the New James Bond Movie

Follow the trail of Agent 007 in his latest film

Amazon Just Opened An Actual Bookstore in Seattle

And just like its online marketplace, Amazon's brick-and-mortar shop aims to shake up the industry

Russia's Anna Sidorova plays during the 2014 World Women's Curling Championship.

The World of Competitive Curling Has Its Very Own Scandal

Is new technology too dominant for the Olympic sport?

Detail from the cover of the 1948 Green Book, a guidebook for black travelers.

A Black American's Guide to Travel In the Jim Crow Era

For decades, <i>The Green Book </i> was the black traveler's lifeline

Pink Gumdrops Are Solving a Sticky Crisis in London

The receptacles are part of the world's first chewing gum recycling program

Wyoming Has a Crack Problem (And It’s Not What You Think)

A mysterious tear in the ground is the state's new social media star and a testament to the fast fury of Mother Nature

People Who Believe in Ghosts Are More Fearful Overall

New research finds a link between paranormal beliefs and fears of things like natural disasters

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