Stephen Hawking’s Last Book Offers Brief Answers to Big Questions

In his collection of final thoughts, published 16 October, physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking addresses nothing less than the future of humanity. The book, called Brief Answers to the Big Questions, emphasizes the importance of regulating artificial intelligence, implementing clean nuclear fusion power and preparing for asteroid collision. He also predicted that gene editing tools will create an advanced race of superhumans—and so much more. In many …

Castle & Key’s Historic Kentucky Distillery

113 acres and 22 reclaimed buildings under the watch of a Master Distiller with a vision for the future of high-end spirits

For more than 40 years, 113 acres of land just outside of Frankfort, Kentucky—and the distillery thereupon, built by legendary distiller Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor—sat idle until the founders of Castle & Key tapped into its potential for two reasons. First, they had a vision of premium spirits crafted from locally sourced ingredients. Second, they recognized that the site—with 22 crumbling, vegetation-covered buildings—could return to its original mission …

Butterfly Wings Explored Through Chris Perani’s Marco Photography

Layer upon layer of  iridescent scales, running along multicolored hairs, are revealed through Chris Perani’s marco photography of butterfly wings. The photographer employs a 10x microscope objective affixed to a 200mm lens in order to get such precision. The findings are perhaps unsurprisingly exquisite and thoroughly mesmerizing, but Perani’s method is certainly notable. See more imagery at Colossal, where Perani outlines his process further.