Cross section of chambered nautilus -- Josh Westrich/Corbis

Cross section of chambered nautilus -- Josh Westrich/Corbis

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• The mollusk who calls this shell home lives in only the outermost chamber, using the rest as ballast.""Think of it as nature\s perfect submarine
• An inspiration to poets and a puzzle to scientists, this creature is an expert remodeler, building perfect chambers slightly larger than the last as it ages and grows.""The senior-citizen discounts kick in by the time you\ve got 30
• What do nautilus shells have in common with sunflowers, corn kernels, beehives, pinecones, and pineapples?""Nature\s magic algorithm
• When you have curves this graceful…""You\re bound to attract imitators

Orphaned orangutans at Sepilok Reserve, Borneo -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

Orphaned orangutans at Sepilok Reserve, Borneo -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

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• The United Nations set aside this day to go to a ballgame, get your nails done, take a bike ride, perhaps do some shopping…""But not solo
• These pals have lost their parents, but they\ve gained lots of friends in a sanctuary for orphaned orangutans.""It\s on the world\s third-largest island, in an area called “the land below the wind”
• Close the door if you don\t want others to hear you say “awww” and “cuuute.”""Warning: Heartstring-tugging videos ahead…
• See something familiar in those eyes? Some say there\s a reason why these guys are called…""“Men of the forest”

Sea mat (Protopalythoa species) -- Paulo de Oliveira/Photolibrary

Sea mat (Protopalythoa species) -- Paulo de Oliveira/Photolibrary

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• These seafloor beauties grow happily in the sunny, tropical waters of both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.""Say hello to this colorful clan
• Sometimes called a “sea mat,” you\d think these guys were defenseless pushovers. But beware…""The little pretties can spew some powerful poison
• To rebuild endangered reefs, conservationists are using some creative materials—including (consenting) human remains.""Gives a whole new meaning to “sleeping with the fishes”
• Marine life is still very mysterious, but we\d be nowhere…""Without this undersea pioneer

Skyscrapers in Houston, Texas -- Didier Dorval/Masterfile

Skyscrapers in Houston, Texas -- Didier Dorval/Masterfile

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• Most people know the three biggest cities in the U.S. (pause here while you quickly name them). But what\s the fourth-largest?""If you were standing right here, you\d be in it
• Travel just down the road to visit the place that\s always dreaded the memorable phrase…""‘Houston, we have a problem\
• During the brutally hot summers here, sometimes you just want to take a pleasant stroll…""Completely underground
• Even though it\s miles and miles inland, this seemingly landlocked city has a port, the second-biggest in the country.""Maybe it\ll all make sense if you look at it this way

Flat crepe mushrooms (Crepidotus applanatus) -- Dick Poe/Visuals Unlimited, Inc.

Flat crepe mushrooms (Crepidotus applanatus) -- Dick Poe/Visuals Unlimited, Inc.

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• Me: Gregarious grower exhibiting gills on a somewhat flabby shell shape...""ISO: Rotting stump of wood
• There are some who believe the fungus among us can be used as environmental cleaners.""Behold, the mighty mushroom
• Fanciful fungi rings can grow up to 1,200 feet in diameter.""They\re not your run-of-the-mill crop circles
• These showy \shrooms pop up just long enough to broadcast their microscopic spores through the wind.""It\s a brief but spectacular turn on the woodland stage

Donkey looking over an ancient rock wall in Ireland -- Ryan Donnell/Corbis

Donkey looking over an ancient rock wall in Ireland -- Ryan Donnell/Corbis

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• Often heard \round these parts is this stirring melody, one of the most popular of the previous century.""Nothing says “the Emerald Isle” like a few bars of this tune
• If you\ve ever sipped a pint of Guinness, hummed a U2 song, quoted Yeats, plucked a four-leaf clover, or pinched someone on St. Patrick\s Day…""You\ll understand why so many are partial to this lovely land
• Over the centuries, the people of this northern island have mastered the art of piling rocks without the use of mortar.""A stroll down many a bonny lane will turn up plenty of these ancient walls
• Humiliating, perhaps…""But for whom?

Sunset of Elliott Bay taken from the Space Needle, Seattle, Washington -- Mohammed Kamel

Sunset of Elliott Bay taken from the Space Needle, Seattle, Washington -- Mohammed Kamel

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• Gather \round, watch your head, and behold for your pleasure and entertainment…""The aerial artistry of a cold, 10-pound salmon pitched high and tight
• With bikers, baristas, bivalves, and brainiacs, not to mention sunsets like this…""Locals will tell you that life is better here
• To get a view like this, you could rent a helicopter…""Or just take an elevator to the top of this iconic perch
• Frequent ferries, scores of bridges, and an unshakable trust in the concept of buoyancy are required…""In a city surrounded by this much water

Incan ruins of Machu Picchu outside Cuzco, Peru -- Sean Caffrey/Lonely Planet Publications Ltd.

Incan ruins of Machu Picchu outside Cuzco, Peru -- Sean Caffrey/Lonely Planet Publications Ltd.

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• Exactly 100 years ago today, an American scholar hiked up this ridge and discovered these ruins.""In some circles, he\s considered the real “Indiana Jones”
• The Incas built these complex stone structures centuries ago amid some of the most forbidding mountain slopes around.""After all these years, no one really knows why
• This energy-efficient home in the clouds features mountain views, an open floor plan, skylights, stone countertops, terraces, and loads of old-world charm…""The plumbing could use some updating
• Before visiting this sacred perch, you\ll want to start nearby in this former Incan capital, whose name means “navel of the world.”""Spanish conquistadors may have tried to topple the city years ago, but it\s now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hairpin bends in the tunnels climbing toward San Boldo pass, Treviso district, Veneto, Italy -- SIME/eStock Photo

Hairpin bends in the tunnels climbing toward San Boldo pass, Treviso district, Veneto, Italy -- SIME/eStock Photo

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• It may look like many roads, but it\s really just one.""What you don\t see are the hairpin turns hidden in these tunnels
• The wide open interstate? Booooring.""Try one of these 12 drives, because it isn\t driving if you aren\t steering
• Ummm, sure you could take the family minivan on this drive, but you might prefer one of the local models…""Like these sexy beasts
• To get to the other side of these mountains, turn right, then turn left, then right, then another left, another right, left…""Maybe you should just look at the map

Coho salmon eggs at fish hatchery -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

Coho salmon eggs at fish hatchery -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

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• Roes and roes of these small fry belong to a family of intrepid travelers.""If you kids only knew what your parents went through to have you
• Put them on a hook and call it bait; put them atop a bed of vinegary rice and call it…""Sushi!
• These pea-sized squirts aren\t much to chew on now…""But once they\re fully grown, what a meal they\ll make
• After spending their adult lives in the open ocean, most wild salmon return to the very same river or stream where they were born to reproduce.""For these guys, there\s no place like home

House between rocks is reflected in Brittany, France -- Axiom Photographic/Masterfile

House between rocks is reflected in Brittany, France -- Axiom Photographic/Masterfile

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• Perhaps after this house is all grown up...""It will look like this one, nearby
• A fine crop of culinary “flowers” are grown here.""Whether you shake or pinch them, you\ll love their taste
• With so much water all around, where do the birds land?""This native fella will be happy to sniff them out for you
• One way to get to this watery region is to purchase a fare on one of these.""It\s not the fastest mode of transport, but you\ll enjoy the views

The Earth and Moon -- NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Earth and Moon -- NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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• Today marks an anniversary that\s out of this world.""Happy Moon Day
• They may have been terrific astronauts, but no matter how much they practiced…""Carnegie Hall was out of reach
• Let\s be frank, this guy has been flying people to the moon for decades.""And he knew what spring was like on Jupiter and Mars
• Twelve astronauts have stepped on the moon, all of them from Apollo missions.""The next time we step on alien soil it could be here

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) male in breeding plumage at lek, Norway -- Werner Bollmann/Oxford Scientific (OSF)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) male in breeding plumage at lek, Norway -- Werner Bollmann/Oxford Scientific (OSF)

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• His psychological profile leaves little to desire.""So why\s he so popular with the gals?
• This strutting dandy takes his name from an old-fashioned accessory.""Call the fashion police!
• Despite his finery, this guy\s best known as a scrappy fighter.""His scientific name means “battle-loving” and “combative”
• The fashion world is notorious for reviving outdated trends so everything old can be new again.""Think twice before throwing out that old shirt

Cliffside suburbs just south of Cape Town, South Africa -- George Steinmetz/Corbis

Cliffside suburbs just south of Cape Town, South Africa -- George Steinmetz/Corbis

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• This picturesque coastline lies just south of one of the world\s most...""Cosmopolitan destinations
• Now a World Heritage Site, this nearby island served as a penal institution for political prisoners until 1996.""The guides provide a unique perspective: They were all once prisoners themselves
• Today, people here are honoring the birthday of a man who fought to end racial segregation.""It was a “long walk to freedom”
• It was in this country that a Nobel Peace Prize winner, after spending 27 years in prison, became the nation\s…""First black president