A look at an unflinchingly brutal fungal parasite that invades the abdomens of cicadas, turning them into “flying saltshakers of death” when they then fly around releasing spores from the fungus on to their brethren on the ground. The cicadas’ obliviousness to the catastrophic loss of their bottoms is perhaps explained by the fact that the fungus has been found to contain psychedelics and amphetamines.
The dizzying, multi-layered story of a huge pearl that has been at the centre of elaborate hoaxes, claims and counter-claims, and havoc in the lives of those connected to it for over 80 years. http://bit.ly/atlantic-pearl
How the CIA seeks to use the film industry to project its desired image.
Ta-Nehisi Coates on two ÔgodsÕ_Ñ_Michael Jackson and Kanye West, his own fortune Òto come of age in the last days of mysteryÓ before the social feed, fame, and America. As one reader puts it, the writing in this piece is Òbottled lightning.Ó http://bit.ly/atlantic-kanye
A hotly contested papyrus that refers to Jesus’ wife sent shockwaves through academic circles when it was discovered. Questions rapidly arose as to its authenticity, and investigations ended up in some very unexpected places. http://www.bit.ly/atlantic-jesus
A new experimental in-house counter-terrorism unit is taking a different approach to security.
A rift in the group of geologists tasked with deciding geological eras and matching them to layers of rock raises questions about humanityÕs impact on the Earth and whether we deserve our own epoch_Ñ_the Anthropocene. http://bit.ly/atlantic-anthropocene
A piece examining a simulation of life on Mars, taking place on a volcano in Hawaii. http://bit.ly/atlantic-mars
A reporter looks back through his archive, at his notes from Hiroshima, Cambodia, Northern Ireland and elsewhere. He recalls the stories on which he reported, and the people he met.