thenewbigpicture
Latest
Explore a multimedia multiverse in Santa Fe
What links Kickstarter, alternate dimensions, George R. R. Martin and the image you see above? House of Eternal Return, a new art exhibition in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In House of Eternal Return, visitors explore a 20,000 square foot space, created by Meow Wolf, an arts production company focused on interactive multimedia experiences. The many environments within can be visited in any order, and tell a larger story. Created by dozens of artists, together they form a narrative of a family in the midst of a dimensional rift, and explores the theory of the multiverse through wormholes linking the exhibits. Installations are varied and interactive; one has a full-scale mastodon skeleton with musical ribs and light-up mushrooms, while many play with sound and visuals in interesting ways.
The hidden beauties unlocked by photomicrographs
Founded in 1988, the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research has established itself as a leader in photomicroscopy. In addition to helping develop new technologies to further the field, it's made important scientific discoveries of its own. In the early 21st century, its work on protoplasmic astrocytes redefined our understanding of their place in the brain. To the layperson, browsing through its images -- many of which are available to view online -- is simply a treasure.
A one-man protest at Mobile World Congress
Conferences like Mobile World Congress are typically exciting times. Details of glitzy product launches and demos fill websites and newspapers with promises of a better tomorrow. While the world watches Barcelona, though, groups are taking the opportunity to highlight other causes. Public transport workers, for example, are striking this week in the city, causing widespread disruption. It's an effective bargaining chip for those upset with their contracts, as attendees at the world's largest mobile conference have seen simple 10-minute subway journeys turn into two-hour traffic jams.
The human cost of electronic waste
Despite long-standing restrictions on the export and import of electronic waste ("e-waste"), the industry is huge. One town in particular, Guiyu, in South Eastern China, rose to fame after the non-profit organisation Basel Action Network exposed the huge amount of e-waste being dumped there. Sporadic coverage in the media has continued ever since, and in 2013 the town was recognised as the largest e-waste site in the world, although that undesirable title may now belong to Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Ghana's capital. Thousands of tonnes of e-waste makes its way to the dump from western countries after being illegally smuggled into the country.
The environmentally friendly rainbow laser forest
Lasers might not be the first things that come to mind when thinking of the conserving the environment. Nonetheless, they're being used to manage commercial forests more efficiently. The false-color image above was captured with a "laser radar" LIDAR (light detection and ranging) system from Irish company Treemetrics. The colors are a 2D representation of 3D data that reveals how dense and straight the trees are. This allows plantation managers to understand how many logs can be harvested from any given tree, and what their quality will be.
Aiding Syrian refugees, one iris scan at a time
Over six million people are thought to have been displaced by the Syrian civil war, leading to a human crisis on a scale not seen in decades. While countries around the world have offered aid and asylum -- some more than others -- to refugees, it's Syria's neighbors that house the vast majority. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered almost 4.6 million Syrians fleeing conflict, of which 4.45 million (97 percent) are in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. And these numbers don't take into account those that have been unable to return due to conflict -- Jordan claims to have 1.27 million Syrians within its borders, for example, while the UNHCR has only registered 635,000.
Singapore's artificial natural paradise
Singapore is one of the most densely-populated states on earth. It's also growing. Through reclamation its landmass has grown by an estimated 24 percent since 1960, with 5 percent (37 square kilometers or 14 square miles) added in the past 15 years alone. This artificial growth is fueled by materials from its own hills, the sea bed and imports from other countries. Along with creating new areas for residence, the reclamation has allowed Singapore to create large public spaces and entertainment complexes, including the Gardens by the Bay, a lush parkland created under the remit to turn Singapore from a "Garden City" into "A City in a Garden."
