Gargoyle on building (@ Roger Brooks/Corbis)

Gargoyle on building (@ Roger Brooks/Corbis)

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• With his menacing leer, this grotesque creature might be considered...""Architecture\s creepiest security guard
• Love some spooky scenery? What\s better for surefire chills than…""A stroll through a Victorian cemetery on Halloween?
• Alas, the moon won\t be full tonight. But we can see clearly that…""The next time we\ll be trick-or-treating under the full moon will be in the year…
• A little brain dip, anyone? Some spooky eyeballs?""Scare up some Halloween treats

Infant gelada baboon in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia (@ Fiona Rogers/Corbis)

Infant gelada baboon in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia (@ Fiona Rogers/Corbis)

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• This wee one\s not just goofing around; he\s tucking into a little lunch.""Meet the last of the grass-eating primates
• This little cutie is hardier than he looks. He lives in one of the few places in Africa…""Where snow falls
• When this infant looks at his elders, he sees a bunch of “bleeding hearts.”""Think it\s for their politics?
• If you want to see this guy in the wild, you\ll have to travel to the highlands of a country known for its coffee.""You may welcome a cup after such a long journey

Fox Fur Nebula in the Monoceros constellation (@ Tony Hallas/Corbis)

Fox Fur Nebula in the Monoceros constellation (@ Tony Hallas/Corbis)

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• If a space traveler wanted to dress for an elegant evening among the heavenly bodies…""She might take a cue from this foxy fashionista
• Clouds of dust and ionized gases like this put on some of the most dazzling displays in the universe.""Step right up and see the show
• You\d have to travel 2,600 light-years to get to this nebula.""How far is that in miles?
• Gazing into the great beyond, you may find yourself asking, \"What is the meaning of it all?\"""But really, that question is so…

Snow gum trees in Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia (@ Rob Blakers/Getty Images)

Snow gum trees in Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia (@ Rob Blakers/Getty Images)

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• This unusually hardy eucalyptus tree…""Scoffs at temperatures that would take down many of its kin
• A popular multiday hike here takes trekkers past…""Tasmania\s highest mountain peak and the continent\s deepest lake
• If you find yourself hiking around these parts, don\t be surprised if you come across a certain cantankerous little critter.""Remember his name from the cartoons?
• During the ice age 10,000 years ago, the island that these trees call home was part of the mainland continent.""And then came the big thaw

Woodpecker searching for food in aspen tree (@ Artbeats)

Woodpecker searching for food in aspen tree (@ Artbeats)

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• When this feathered beauty joins her pals, they\re called a descent. When she\s alone…""She\s one of these
• Not everyone can scamper up and down an aspen.""How does this tree hugger make it look so easy?
• What has Arkansas and the ornithology community all a-flutter?""You\d think they saw a ghost
• Some folks were born to be wild, but others…""Were born to peck

Candlelit lanterns are set adrift during the Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London (@ Darren Lehane/Getty Images)

Candlelit lanterns are set adrift during the Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London (@ Darren Lehane/Getty Images)

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• These lanterns illuminate an annual “festival of lights.”""Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains all over the world kick off the festivities today
• Designs made of colored sand, jewel-bright saris, and special sweets are treasured traditions…""Of this five-day celebration
• These Diwali lanterns are floating in a fountain amid the biggest public square in London.""What\s the square called?
• Hindu families put out lanterns during Diwali to welcome Goddess Lakshmi.""Inspired? You can get out the glue and scissors to make one yourself

Snowcapped San Juan range above the autumn colors in Dallas Creek Valley, Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado (@ Terry Donnelly/Aurora Photos)

Snowcapped San Juan range above the autumn colors in Dallas Creek Valley, Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado (@ Terry Donnelly/Aurora Photos)

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• These rugged mountains are dotted with the remnants of old mining camps. The big mines have closed, but there\s still…""Gold in them thar hills!
• A nearby town, surrounded by snowcapped peaks, bills itself as “The Switzerland of America.”""Let\s see if it can back up that claim…
• As these golden autumn leaves flutter in the breeze, they\re said to “quake.”""What kind of tree is this?
• Will driving the Million Dollar Highway through these mountains make you feel like a million bucks?""Couldn\t hurt to try…

Volcanic landscape after the 1991 eruption on Mount Pinatubo, Philippines (@ Philippe Bourseiller/Getty Images)

Volcanic landscape after the 1991 eruption on Mount Pinatubo, Philippines (@ Philippe Bourseiller/Getty Images)

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• A stroll through the snow? Guess again.""It wasn\t snow that blanketed this landscape in white
• When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the ash that spewed into the atmosphere cooled the Earth by almost a degree that summer.""But witness the spectacular sunsets it also created
• More than 7,000 islands make up this country, and the volcano that dropped all this ash was on the most populated of them.""Think you can name this usually verdant land?
• Whether they\re belching lava or sitting serenely above it all, volcanoes like this one fill us with a sense of wonder.""Tour 13 other favorite hot spots

Squirrel hiding in a tree (@ Norihisa Inomata/Photolibrary)

Squirrel hiding in a tree (@ Norihisa Inomata/Photolibrary)

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• Most places in the world have an indigenous version…""Of this cutie pie
• It\s the time of year when your local squirrels will busy themselves with finding and storing food for the winter.""They don\t have freezers, so they have to use other methods to keep their stashes secure
• This guy\s most famous fictional relative went by the name Rocket J. Squirrel.""What was his nickname?
• Moving from tree to tree is a snap for some of this wee one\s chums.""Getting there is half the fun

Tallinn, Estonia (@ Bharat Ranjan)

Tallinn, Estonia (@ Bharat Ranjan)

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• The E.U. has named this city a European Capital of Culture for 2011.""Its name may not have risen to the top of your must-visit list…yet
• Even reflected in a puddle, it\s easy to tell that after Soviet rule ended here…""Renovation has made the Old Town gleam
• Though you may not be able understand the lyrics to this beloved local song…""The joy of thousands of singers translates to any language
• This city has become a popular stop on a tour of three European gems...""Surrounding the Gulf of Finland

Geranium pollen at a magnification of x400 (@ Micro Discovery/Corbis)

Geranium pollen at a magnification of x400 (@ Micro Discovery/Corbis)

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• These microscopic puffs can play hardball with your sinuses.""They may also help to solve crimes
• Can\t see something itsy-bitsy with the naked eye?""Blow it up
• Your nose may itch just at the mention of these magnified puffballs.""What ailment do you think they cause?
• Pull way back and you\ll see this pollen\s home, a popular houseplant…""And unwitting video star

Deer Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak, island of Borneo, Malaysia (@ Richard Ashworth/Photolibrary)

Deer Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak, island of Borneo, Malaysia (@ Richard Ashworth/Photolibrary)

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• This giant cave is home to millions of bats.""And every night they go out to dinner together
• This cave leads to one of the largest underground river systems in the world. It\s been said…""You could fly a jumbo jet through these passages
• Geo quiz: This enormous cavern is in a country that\s divided by the South China Sea into two parts, one on its namesake peninsula and the other on the island of Borneo.""What\s this country called?
• There\s a special word for exploring caves that\s almost as much fun to say as it is to do.""Can you say it?

Blenny in Portofino, Italy (@ SIME/eStock Photo)

Blenny in Portofino, Italy (@ SIME/eStock Photo)

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• Among his extended family members, our spotted friend is pretty outgoing.""Usually, you\d find his ilk burrowing at the bottom of the sea
• This yellow fellow shares his watery home…""With a roommate who\s simply divine
• This distinctive-looking swimmer has cousins who bear such colorful names as “Flametail,” “Lawnmower,” and even “Stigmata.”""Meet a few of the family…
• Not that this little guy would notice, but he\s swimming in waters…""Where famous folks frolic

Sitka, Alaska (@ Daryl Pederson/Age Fotostock)

Sitka, Alaska (@ Daryl Pederson/Age Fotostock)

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• On this date in 1867, the U.S. flag was first raised in this town.""Today\s a holiday for the whole state, but the big party is right here
• You\re looking at one of the largest incorporated cities in the U.S. by area (larger than the state of Delaware)…""But fewer than 9,000 people live here
• This fishing town is proud to be part of our 49th state. But before the stars and stripes flew here...""Which country ruled this northern land?
• The price tag for this large territory seemed steep in 1867, when some derided the purchase as “Seward\s Folly.” But we\re talking about a biiiiiiig place…""So the cost per square acre was literally pocket change

Vancouver skyline, British Columbia, Canada (@ Stephen Matera)

Vancouver skyline, British Columbia, Canada (@ Stephen Matera)

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• This thoroughly modern West Coast city satisfies visitors who crave both urban and outdoorsy activities.""Best time to go: virtually year-round
• That futuristic lighted dome was built for the 1986 World\s Fair as an expo center.""Now it\s a center for all things scientific
• Inventor Buckminster Fuller inspired the design of this sparkling dome.""What did Fuller call his formative invention?
• About 12,000 people carried torches from Greece and then across Canada last year before lighting a giant cauldron in this city.""It launched an event that lit imaginations worldwide

Interior of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky (@ Walter Bibikow/Age Fotostock)

Interior of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky (@ Walter Bibikow/Age Fotostock)

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• Step outside the halls of this grand state capitol building and you\ll find yourself…""In the heart of bluegrass country
• This state was the beloved home to the Father of Bluegrass. Thanks to him…""The moon around here is forever blue
• The painting in this arch depicts an 18th-century frontiersman who settled this region. FYI: He probably didn\t really wear a coonskin cap.""Who was he?
• The people of this state are known for producing a distinctly American libation.""Just try making a mint julep without it

A grass spider’s web with raindrops (@ Don Johnston/Age Fotostock)

A grass spider’s web with raindrops (@ Don Johnston/Age Fotostock)

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• The eight-legged architect of this elaborately suspended sculpture…""Could be lurking in the lawn of your own backyard
• The type of spider that made this web wouldn\t stop with just this sheet of web.""No, it\s not done \til its prey can see the eyes at the end of the funnel
• If you quake at the thought of creatures whose webs might ensnare you, you\re not alone.""What\s this fear called?
• This web-spinner\s very, very distant relative has radioactive blood.""To him, life is a great big bang-up

An aerial view of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts (@ Frank Siteman/Corbis)

An aerial view of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts (@ Frank Siteman/Corbis)

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• Here in one of the most famous college towns in the world, it\s no wonder that at least a quarter of its residents are students.""We hear that just visiting makes you smarter
• Look for this university\s sweepers, scullers, and coxes on this river next weekend…""In one of the world\s largest rowing events
• When graduates of this institution mention their alma mater, they call it “dropping the H-bomb.”""What\s all the fuss about?
• In a young nation like the United States, institutions more than three centuries old are so rare you\d need a map to find them.""But chances are, most everyone in this town will be able to direct you to the university that turns 375 this year

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) decorated for christening and launch, San Diego, California (@ Reed Kaestner/Corbis)

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) decorated for christening and launch, San Diego, California (@ Reed Kaestner/Corbis)

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• On this day in 1775, the Continental Congress voted to arm two sailing vessels and to send them out to intercept ships carrying munitions to the British army in America.""Happy birthday, U.S. Navy!
• This Navy vessel delivers ammunition and provisions to other ships at sea so they can continue on their missions.""See how those supplies are put to use on one aircraft carrier
• This ship was built in and launched from the city that hosts the largest U.S. Navy base on the West Coast.""Can you guess which city it is?
• If you\ve marveled that planes can take off from and land on naval aircraft carriers…""This ship\s namesake was the one who started it all

Berlin Cathedral with artful illumination during the Festival of Lights in Berlin, Germany (@ Axel Schmies/Age Fotostock)

Berlin Cathedral with artful illumination during the Festival of Lights in Berlin, Germany (@ Axel Schmies/Age Fotostock)

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• Ordinarily, this grand cathedral presents a buttoned-up image to the world. But for two weeks each year…""It and other monuments of this city receive a phosphorescent makeover
• Fifty years ago, a wall went up in this city that divided it…""Both literally and figuratively
• In the summer of 1963, John F. Kennedy visited this European capital and claimed to be a local.""He even managed to adopt the local tongue
• Taking in the artistically lit buildings during the Festival of Lights is an enchanting (and free!) nighttime activity.""It\s a cheap date in this city that calls itself “poor but sexy”

A leaf-covered clearing in an autumn woodland (@ Artbeats/Paul Frederick Productions)

A leaf-covered clearing in an autumn woodland (@ Artbeats/Paul Frederick Productions)

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• Although New Englanders would argue this point…""There are other places with dazzling fall displays
• It\s not unusual to feel a little romance when autumn leaves start to fall.""Take it away, Tom
• Sure, evergreens can be pretty, if a little monochromatic.""But for real arboreal drama, you need this...
• When temperatures fall, it\s time to go inside and get baking.""Mmmm, what smells so good?

Monument to Christopher Columbus at Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain (@ Rafael Campillo/Pixtal/Age Fotostock)

Monument to Christopher Columbus at Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain (@ Rafael Campillo/Pixtal/Age Fotostock)

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• In this part of the world, you\ll want to greet the day with a hearty “Bon dia!”""A little Catalan goes a long way in this city
• Locals of this port city are celebrating Fiesta Nacional today, honoring the man who returned to this spot in 1493 with tales of a new world.""The same holiday goes by another name among modern residents of that new world
• This statue of Christopher Columbus is perched at the end of a long boulevard…""Known for its colorful characters
• The most famous architect of this city is inseparable from the word “modernisme.”""But for some, his work is also inseparable from the word “gaudy”

Chameleons (@ Exactostock/SuperStock)

Chameleons (@ Exactostock/SuperStock)

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• Didn\t we just see a chameleon?""It\s around here somewhere…
• This pair doesn\t need to run to catch lunch.""They just unfurl their tongues
• With such storied ancestors, these guys can be justly proud that they retain some characteristics…""Of the “terrible lizards”
• Scientists tell us that chameleons change their colors mainly to send social signals to others, not to camouflage themselves.""Don\t tell that to this guy

Dubrovnik, Croatia (@ SIME / eStock Photo)

Dubrovnik, Croatia (@ SIME / eStock Photo)

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• Reflect on this: Less than 20 years ago this city was wracked by war, but it\s been restored to what George Bernard Shaw once called…""“Paradise on Earth”
• Today this city opens its gates wide to foreign visitors.""But it was once one of many towns whose fortifications protected against invaders
• Step inside the stone walls of this seaside city and you\ll find...""The “pearl of the Adriatic”
• Plenty of locals will be filling these streets today to celebrate…""Twenty years of their country\s independence

Pink dragon fruit (@ Asia Images Group/Photolibrary)

Pink dragon fruit (@ Asia Images Group/Photolibrary)

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• Some are calling these exotic beauties the latest “hot fruit” to hit U.S. shelves. If your local market doesn\t carry them (yet)…""Go ahead, try to grow your own
• These fruits only look like they\d cut you. Underneath that spiky exterior…""They\re real softies
• Importers couldn\t sell the Chinese gooseberry, so they dubbed it the kiwi. Prunes found new markets as dried plums.""Enter the pitaya, now known as…
• If musicians adopted fruits as mascots, these pink lovelies would seem handpicked…""For this powerhouse pop diva

Cypress trees reflecting in pond, George L. Smith State Park, Georgia (@ Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Cypress trees reflecting in pond, George L. Smith State Park, Georgia (@ Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

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• Some of these trees grow pointy “knees,” the purpose of which isn\t entirely clear. Do they help stabilize the tree, or perhaps provide oxygen?""Whatever the answer, locals have put them to (good?) use
• These trees can grow to 100 feet, but they\re also popular among people who like to keep…""Wee trees
• This state\s official state reptile was known during the Great Depression as “Hoover chicken” because locals who were down on their luck would capture it for food.""It\s illegal to hunt the critter now, so we\ll have to take it on faith that it tasted like poultry
• If after a long day in the backwoods here in George L. Smith State Park, you\re looking for a little bonhomie…""Try traveling about 70 miles east to pay a call on “The Hostess City of the South”

Finch (@ Sodapix /Photolibrary)

Finch (@ Sodapix /Photolibrary)

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• This little guy\s extended family includes…""Some of the Northern Hemisphere\s most common songbirds
• More than 150 years ago, ancestors of this yellow fellow made scientific history.""Their descendants have adapted well to the notoriety
• This little one\s diet consists of seeds and grain.""He\s not just vegan, he\s called…
• [Voiceover]: In a land called “north,” one wee songbird awoke to find a disagreeable chill in the air.""Take a look at your winged brothers and sisters, then fly, little guy, fly south like the wind!

Milky Way seen from Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain (@ Terje Sørgjerd/TSO Photography)

Milky Way seen from Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain (@ Terje Sørgjerd/TSO Photography)

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• Today is the anniversary of a mission by a special Soviet envoy who famously said…""“Beep… beep… beep… beep…”
• Every season, the night sky turns and shifts…""Reintroducing a whole new cast of characters
• Astronomy 101: Cosmology isn\t a fancy way of saying \"truly wondrous makeup.\"""Or is it?
• Who discovered this galaxy? No one really knows.""But if it\s celestial skies you seek, you\ll find a stellar vantage point nearby

Bridge crossing Cuyahoga River at dusk in Cleveland, Ohio (@ Henryk Sadura /Photolibrary)

Bridge crossing Cuyahoga River at dusk in Cleveland, Ohio (@ Henryk Sadura /Photolibrary)

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• This industrial waterway helped ignite the environmental movement of the 1960s.""Heard the one about the river that caught fire? It was no joke
• Veterans Memorial Bridge is just one of hundreds bridges in this city…""That features a river running through and a Great Lake alongside
• Ask ABBA, ZZ Top, or any musician in between.""This city rocks
• This city is on the shore of a lake that put the E in “HOMES” and the gerund in “Sergeant Major Hates Eating Onions.”""Do you remember this “great” body of water?

Shore of Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho (@ David Ryan/Lonely Planet Images)

Shore of Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho (@ David Ryan/Lonely Planet Images)

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• If it\s solitude you\re after, just head due east from here to the vast wilderness area that goes by the name of...""The River of No Return
• This lake might just be home to a Loch Ness-style “monster.”""Or maybe not
• This area\s getting ready to settle in for a long winter.""At a mile high, it gets the most snow in the state
• A river flows from this lake, featuring rapids that attract the most fearless daredevils.""Hold on to your stomach…

An illuminated Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China (@ Christian Kober/Corbis)

An illuminated Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China (@ Christian Kober/Corbis)

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• Residents here begin a countrywide “Golden Week” holiday that kicks off today with National Day. The military will parade in this city, and tonight fireworks will light up the sky…""To commemorate the 62nd anniversary of Communist rule
• Locals affectionately call this building “The Egg.”""See more of its shell and some of the yolk…
• This titanium-and-glass oval dome offers a cultural refuge…""In a city known as a center of political power and breakneck economic development
• What would you see inside “The Egg”?""Many kinds of performance, including this cultural treasure