A pie is a filling baked in or under a pastry crust. Pies have been made since ancient times, when the crust was often a tough case meant only to hold the filling, not to be eaten. Today the crust is half the pleasure, whether it is flaky, buttery pastry or a crunchy base of … Read more
There are more than 73,000 species of trees on Earth, according to a 2022 global estimate, and thousands of them have never been formally described. Trees fall into two broad groups. Broadleaf trees, or hardwoods, have flat leaves and most drop them in autumn. Conifers, or softwoods, have needles or scales, carry their seeds in … Read more
There are more than 300,000 species of flowering plants on Earth, and they range from tiny alpine blooms to sunflowers taller than a person. Flowers exist to attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, and bats, which is why they come in such a range of colors, shapes, and scents. This guide covers twelve of … Read more
Penguins are flightless seabirds that live almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Their wings have evolved into stiff flippers, and they “fly” underwater instead, reaching speeds of up to 22 miles per hour in the fastest species. Despite their link with ice, only a few species live in Antarctica itself. Others live on the coasts … Read more
Parrots are among the most intelligent and colorful birds in the world. There are about 400 species, living mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. They all share a strong, curved beak and feet with two toes pointing forward and two pointing back, which they use like hands to … Read more
Choosing glasses comes down to two decisions: the shape of the frame and the type of lens. The frame decides how the glasses look on your face, and the lens decides what they do for your eyes. This guide shows six of the most common frame shapes with pictures, explains which face shapes each one … Read more
A bracelet is any piece of jewelry worn around the wrist. Bracelets are among the oldest ornaments people have made, with examples of shell, bone, and stone going back tens of thousands of years. Today they range from a knotted thread that costs almost nothing to a line of diamonds worth more than a car. … Read more
Pastry is dough made from flour, fat, and water, and the word is also used for the baked goods made from it. A small change in how the fat is worked into the flour gives completely different results, from the crumbly base of a tart to the hundreds of paper-thin layers in a croissant. This … Read more