Some beautiful things are deadly. The F-22 Raptor Japanese katana swords Box jellyfish Blue-ringed octopi Lava flows You will rarely encounter them in your living room. More common and a few rungs down the hazard scale are many popular houseplants. When ingested, they...
We tolerate some high-maintenance things without much complaint: The classic English sports car with finicky mechanics Saltwater aquariums with precise water chemistry and temperature demands High-end fabrics like silk, cashmere, and leather with special cleaning and...
Staghorn ferns don’t grow in soil. In the wild, they cling to trees, rocks, or cliff faces, absorbing moisture and nutrients from rain and decaying leaves. Over time, multiple ferns fuse into a giant colony that can blanket entire tree trunks. They don’t...
“Oregano” comes from the Greek oros (mountain) and ganos (joy), translating to “joy of the mountain.” The ancient Greeks crowned newlyweds with the pungent plant. The herb was uncommon in American cuisine before WWII, but GIs returning from...
There are coffee drinkers and coffee lovers. Voltaire fell into the latter category, guzzling up to 70 cups per day (and living into his 80s). Beethoven hand-counted precisely 60 beans per cup. Once he perfected the formula, he never strayed. Voltaire and Beethoven...
