Underwater Photography
October 25, 2021

New Book Chronicles National Geographic Photographer’s Long Career of Split-View Ocean Images

What’s just below the ocean’s surface? In the wondrous images by National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, we get a glimpse into the world beneath the water. Known as the “Audubon of the sea,” Doubilet captures vivid sights that are a split view, simultaneously showing what’s happening atop the water as well as within it. The results are fascinating; a magenta jellyfish, for instance, blooms in the foreground, punctuated with a backdrop of tall pine trees.

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Art History
October 24, 2021

Learn About M. C. Escher, the Legendary Artist Who Created Mind-Bending Artwork

Dutch printmaker M. C. Escher seamlessly combined math and art. From illustrations of hands drawing hands to landscapes that transform into birds, he created dynamic illusory designs based on mathematical concepts such as tessellation and perspective. Over the course of his creative career, he produced an array of mind-bending lithographs and etchings that were wildly popular with the public.

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Architecture
October 23, 2021

Architects Design a Conceptual Zero-Energy, Zero-Waste Eco-Resort in the Philippines

Have you ever heard of the term arcology? Developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, it defines an increasingly popular design idea: architecture and ecology are combined into one integrated design. Vincent Callebaut Architectures’ Nautilus Eco-Resort perfectly describes the possibilities of this environmental design idea. “In a world that is shrinking, the Nautilus Eco-Resort project wants to extend the field of action of a triple-zero eco-tourism: zero-emission, zero-waste, zero poverty,” explains architect Vincent Callebaut.

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Art History
October 22, 2021

World’s Oldest Pair of Skis Discovered in Ice by Researchers in Norway

Skiing may seem like a modern pastime, but humans have been strapping wood to their feet and gliding on snow for many millennia. Skiing has been a useful—and often necessary—mode of transportation since at least 6,000 BCE. However, most ancient skis are only known through rock art depictions and fragments of wood. This makes a recent finding by a Norwegian team of archeologists all the more exciting.

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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.