M.J. Rose

Pope Joan. Is she a legend from the Middle Ages or a true historical anomaly? Did she really disguise herself as a man, working her way up the ladder of the clergy until Popedom – only to be discovered as female when she gave birth on horseback? Was she then murdered by an angry mob?

Imagine if we had a female Pope today. How would she be received in our age? With respect or disdain?

Learn more about the enigmatic tale (or reality?) of Pope(ess) Joan, here.

Some extremely smart people (the “Revive & Restore Initiative“) are starting a new project called “De-Extinction”. There’s a big conference and TED “talk” happening tomorrow at The National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to which you may tune in here.

What will they be talking about exactly?

…”Revive & Restore, with the support of TED and in partnership with National Geographic Society, is convening a day-long conference to showcase the prospects of bringing extinct species back to life, along with a discussion of the ethical issues that will raise…”

Yes, you read that correctly: “the prospects of bringing extinct species back to life.”

More background here, and take a poll: Which species would you like to see revived? (The Tasmanian tiger, the California condor, the woolly mammoth…? Revive & Restore are already hard at work on the North American passenger pigeon which was last seen alive almost a century ago.)

New York is full of secrets and mysteries. All you have to do is walk around for a day (or a night) and you are guaranteed to find something amazing, intriguing, or mystifying. Here’s one Brooklyn based “secret” right on the street in plain view that is fascinating and even a little spooky…

The Fake Townhouses hiding Mystery Underground Portals

(from Messy Nessy)