In 1933, the Soviet Union began construction work on what would become some of the world’s most beautiful subway stations. The Moscow Metro opened in 1935. Built mainly by hand, the train stations resemble a palace more than a place of transit. And they were palaces of a sort: they articulated, through architecture, the Soviet creed that the worker, not a king, queen or Tsar, reigned supreme. The irony—and tragedy—is that these palaces required the punishment of the very people they venerated: working conditions on these palatial subway sites were notoriously cruel.
The interstitium, the shock-absorbing tissue underneath the skin, gut and blood vessels, has been identified as an organ for the first time according to a new study. Researchers think the layers of the body previously believed to be dense, connective tissues are in fact interconnected compartments filled with fluid. According to the team co-led by New York University's (NYU) School of Medicine, the interstitium is an organ in its own right and one of the largest in the body. If the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is widely accepted, the interstitium could be regarded as the body's 80th organ. Supported by a mesh of strong and flexible connective tissue proteins, the interstitium protects the organs, muscles and vessels that keep our bodies alive by absorbing bumps and shocks.
A jet pack, rocket belt or rocket pack is a device, usually worn on the back, which uses jets of gas (or in some cases liquid) to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. Real jet packs, using a variety of mechanisms have been developed, though the challenges of Earth's atmosphere, Earth's gravity, low energy density of available fuels, and the human body not being naturally adapted to fly mean that their uses are much more limited than their fictional counterparts, being principally used for stunts. A practical use for the jet pack has been in extra-vehicular activities for astronauts.
The National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is underway. The above picture was the winner of the 2017 Contest. The 2018 competition closes on May 31 and the grand-prize winner will be awarded $10,000 (USD). Here are some of this year’s entries, gathered from three categories: Nature, Cities, and People. The photos and captions were written by the photographers, and lightly edited for style. From June 11-15, fans of NG will vote for their favorite photos from each category and select the Peoples’ Choice winners.
