December 29, 2016

Build-Your-Own Beetle Kits Celebrate Insects Through Charming 3D Paper Craft

Insects are fascinating creatures—maybe not when they’re in your shower, but their delicate wings, multiple legs, and iridescent torsos showcase the ingenuity of nature. In celebration of their distinct beauty, designer Joop Bource of Assembli has produced a collection of DIY paper sculptures modeled after three types of beetles. Created like a 3D puzzle, you assemble the wings and body from pre-cut parts. According to Bource, it takes about 45 minutes to finish one sculpture.

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December 28, 2016

509-Year-Old Map Is the Only Known Copy of First Time “America” Appears

We all know Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer after which the United States was named. But have you ever seen the first map to label parts of the world as America? Created in 1507, the so-called Waldseemüller map holds this distinction. Also known as Universalis Cosmographia, it's composed of 12 separate woodcut prints that were meant to be hung together.

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December 26, 2016

Otherworldly Images of Andromeda Galaxy Over a Tiny Swiss Village

Photographer Sandro Casutt lives in a remote Swiss village with unbelievable views of the Andromeda Galaxy. The village of Vals, population 990, is a prime location for viewing the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way. Thus, Casutt, together with his brother Markus, started Cosmic Art Photography two years ago as an outlet for their love of the universe. Owner of a tattoo parlor by day, Casutt spends his evenings hunting for the perfect sky.

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December 26, 2016

Celebrities Reveal Their Public and Private Personas in Intimate Double-Portraits

Celebrities often have very different public and private personas, and we rarely get an intimate look into who they really are. We try, certainly—just look at paparazzi and tabloids—but photographer Andrew H. Walker had another idea. While at the Toronto Film Festival, he asked 51 A-listers to share two sides of themselves in front of the camera. One demonstrates how they are in public while the other peers inward towards a side they might not show.

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