Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Astronomy
September 14, 2022

Scientists Develop Motor To Make Oxygen on Mars To Support Astronaut Life

Iconic artist David Bowie may have sang “Is there life on Mars?” in 1971, but the dream of finding—or placing—living creatures on the red planet is still alive in 2022. Oxygen, of course, is critical. Thanks to a large leap in scientific technology, there is now a machine which can produce oxygen in carrying conditions, and eventually it will hopefully be enough to sustain several astronauts.

Read Article

Endangered Animals
September 5, 2022

One of the World’s Rarest “Lost Bird” Species Photographed in Colombia

Some animal species get lost. This can be due to time, or to the vast expanses of their remote habitats. Hopeful humans may search high and low hoping to catch a glimpse of the precious creatures. For decades, the Santa Marta sabrewing has been a bird-watching holy grail—the quintessential “lost bird.” Discovered in 1946 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains of Colombia, the shimmering, iridescent creature was last seen in 2010.

Read Article

Animals
September 1, 2022

Lolita the Orca May Soon Go Free After Decades of Forced Captivity

If you visited a big aquarium such as SeaWorld or the Miami Seaquarium a decade ago, performances by orcas, also known as killer whales, were probably a centerpiece of the visiting experience. However, animal advocates, Indigenous activists, and others have pushed to end the harmful practice of keeping these enormous whales locked up in small pools, forced to perform for audiences. Now good news emerges in this continuing crusade.

Read Article

Animals
August 28, 2022

Trove of Jurassic-Era Fossilized Fish Discovered on an English Dairy Farm

One might expect to find a lot of cows, manure, and hay on a dairy farm. However, British fossil hunters Neville and Sally Hollingworth discovered something less expected: a 183-million-year-old fossilized fish. Not just any fossil, the pair had discovered a specimen preserved as if leaping, toothy mouth agape, towards the viewer. Researchers investigating this 3D find have since uncovered a previously unknown Jurassic fossil bed, one of the most exceptional sites discovered in years.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.