Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. You can now own a $1 gold coin celebrating one of America’s most revolutionary achievements: the NASA Space Shuttle program. The latest variant in the ongoing American Innovation $1 Coin series is available to order through the United States Mint. Selected to represent the state of Florida, the noncirculating legal tender is the third coin released this year and the 28th coin in the 15-year project first announced in 2018. While the coin’s front displays the series’ Statue of Liberty image, the back shows the shuttle launching above plumes of exhaust. United States Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer sculpted the image while Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Ron Sanders designed it. “The Space Shuttle, officially known as the Space Transportation System, remains one of the most iconic and influential spacecrafts in history,” explained US Mint acting director Kristie McNally in an accompanying announcement. “As the world’s first reusable spacecraft, it played a pivotal role in advancing space exploration. We are honored to celebrate this major achievement.” The Space Shuttle’s iconic design (including the image displayed on the new $1 coins) frequently featured not just the shuttle itself, but its large external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters. Those attachments detached after the shuttle reached a predetermined altitude. While the boosters included parachutes allowing them to be recovered and reused, the fuel tank was designed to disintegrate during its atmospheric reentry along a ballistic trajectory ensuring any remnants landed in the Indian or Pacific Oceans. The Space Shuttle coin is the 28th in the American Innovation series. Credit: US Mint NASA relied on the Space Shuttle to transport astronauts on missions from April 1981 until its retirement in July 2011. The spacecraft blasted off a total of 135 times from one of two launchpads in Florida, returning to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral at the end of 78 of those trips. During its tenure, the shuttle flew the first women and minority crew members into space, as well as delivered components for both the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station (ISS). The program was not without tragedy, however. The Challenger and Columbia disasters of 1986 and 2003, respectively,  collectively claimed the lives of 14 astronauts. In 2004, President George W. Bush announced plans to retire the Space Shuttle program following the completion of the ISS. Today, NASA primarily relies on private contracts with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for astronaut and mission transport. The ongoing Artemis lunar program will use an Orion spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Space Shuttle’s influence today is far more than just symbolic. The Artemis program’s rocket booster engines, casings, and main engines are all repurposed and refurbished from Space Shuttle craft. The Artemis I mission alone utilized components previously employed on 83 shuttle missions. The United States Mint announced its American Innovation $1 Coin series celebrating American achievements across science and technology in 2018, and has already featured three space-related selections prior to the Florida coin. Delaware’s coin from 2018 showcases Annie Jump Cannon, the pioneering astronomer responsible for the star classification system still used today. Meanwhile, Maryland’s 2020 entry pays tribute to the Hubble Space Telescope, and Alabama’s 2024 release includes the Saturn V rocket. Later this year, Texas will become the fifth space-centric $1 gold coin with its Mission Control design.

Geologists turned to tiny bubbles to investigate the dynamics driving magma flow beneath Hawaii’s volcanoes as the country’s islands drift northwest on a tectonic plate. They found that, as the islands slip away from the hotspot that fuels Kiluaea on the “Big Island, magma flow not only slows, but shifts deeper underground," according to a report in the journal Science Advances.“This challenges the old idea that eruptions are fueled by magma stored in the Earth’s crust and suggests a new possibility that magma is stored and matures in the Earth’s mantle, and eruptions are fueled from this deep mantle reservoir,” Esteban Gazel, a Cornell University scientist and author of the paper, said in a press release.Understanding Volcano EruptionsTo reach this conclusion, scientists employed a technique that will help increase understanding of what causes eruptions and help them predict those events more accurately. They focused on tiny gas bubbles that become trapped inside crystals within magma — a phenomenon called “fluid inclusion.” Calculating the pressure and depth at which those bubbles are captured gives scientists more precise information about magma’s activity.“The technology allows us to measure pressure from depths with an uncertainty as small as just hundreds of meters, which is very, very precise for depths that are tens of kilometers below the surface,” Gazel said in the release. “Before this, measuring magma storage was much more difficult, with uncertainties that could span kilometers.”Read More: 5 of the Most Explosive Volcanic EruptionsLooking at Different Volcano Life StagesThe scientists applied the method to samples from three Hawaiian volcanoes that are at different stages of their “lives.” Kilauea’s magma was stored at relatively shallow depths of about a mile, as predicted. They found two magma storage areas beneath Haleakala — a shallow one just over a mile down, and a deeper one at 12 to 16 miles in the Earth’s mantle. Diamond Head on the island of O’ahu, showed magma storage around 13 to 18 miles deep, all within the Earth’s mantle.“Knowing these depths precisely matters, because to understand the drivers of eruptions, one of the most important constraints is where magma is stored,” Gazel said in the release. “That is fundamental for physical models that will explain eruptive processes and is required for volcanic risk assessment.”Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Science Advances. Crustal to mantle melt storage during the evolution of Hawaiian volcanoesBefore joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

Reviewers Liked Improved sound Class-leading noise cancellation Highly intuitive touch controls Supremely comfy Return of folding design improves portability Can finally charge during use Replaceable earpads Reviewers Didn't Like Price increase over previous model Speak-to-Chat still needs work Spatial audio upmixing is a useless gimmick Still no audio over USB-C Fragile-feeling articulating hinges The headband could use a bit more padding No aptX HD support Feature-rich app may be overwhelming for casual users Competitors and Related Products Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets. Expert reviews and ratings 94 The crown is safe once again. Sony has managed to overhaul its flagship headphones in all the right ways that keep the 1000X line atop our best headphones list. By Engadget on May 15, 2025 80 Although they’re not the radical upgrade I was hoping for, the Sony WH-1000XM6 make some minor improvements to Sony’s flagship noise-cancelling headphones. They lack a wide soundstage, but they deliver crystal-clear vocals for close to 30 hours without fail. By Tom's Guide on May 15, 2025 90 These sound better than the latest Bose model, offer better noise canceling, and are generally better to use. Compared to the equivalently priced AirPods Max, all those things are also true, except that you might be enough of an iOS stan that the AirPods integrate better into your ecosystem. In any case, I’d strongly recommend you check out a pair of Sony’s new flagship headphones before you make a purchasing decision. They’re one of the finest wireless pairs of headphones ever made. By Wired on May 15, 2025 100 Sony’s wireless headphones deliver a performance more than befitting a flagship pair of wireless headphones. Comfort levels are great, they’re nice to use, ANC is excellent, call quality is class-leading, and sound quality can match anything at this level. Simply sensational. By What Hi Fi? on May 15, 2025 90 The Sony WH-1000XM6 are a fantastic pair of over-ear headphones that combine the best design elements of their predecessors, while levelling up the sonic and ANC capabilities of what came before. With super-clean touch controls, an ultra-comfy fit and a ton of features at your disposal, there’s a lot to love about these headphones, even if they do come at quite the cost. By TechRadar on May 15, 2025 90 Sony's high-end WH-1000XM6 headphones feature foldable earcups, new driver tuning, and noise cancellation that rivals the best from Bose. By PCMag on May 15, 2025 100 Sony’s legendary noise-cancelling headphones get even better, with the return of foldability, superb sound, and jaw-dropping ANC performance. By Stuff on May 15, 2025 93 Sony upgraded the design and performance of its flagship noise-canceling headphones, pushing them slightly ahead of the competition. But not surprisingly, their price has also increased. By cnet on May 15, 2025 Their higher-than-ever price might push Sony loyalists to explore what else is out there, and 1000XM5 owners shouldn’t feel any rush to spend the $450. But if your older Sony earbuds are on their last legs, these could be worth saving up for. By The Verge on May 15, 2025 Hands on: The WH-1000XM6 are amazing. They’re probably the new champs as far as wireless headphones go. But if you’re a happy WH-1000XM5 owner, I wouldn’t feel any pressure to upgrade. And if you’re looking to buy, it’s hard to ignore that Sony’s current discount on the XM5 brings them in at $100 less than the XM6. By DigitalTrends on May 15, 2025 Load More Reviews…

A cat with seasonal allergies tries to scratch his ear.getty Minnesota resident Mary Tan travels frequently with her outgoing “adventure cat,” Franklin, a rescued orange tabby. But a couple of years ago when she was traveling solo and her sister was pet sitting for her, she received a phone call that changed daily life. “My sister called me and said, ‘I think Franklin has ear mites.’ And I’m like, ‘What? There's no way,'” she said. “I was freaking out.” As soon as Tan got home, she rushed her cat to the veterinarian, who determined Franklin didn’t have ear mites: he had severe allergies. The “black crud” in the cat’s ears turned out to be bacteria and yeast. Tan, a longtime animal foster, adopter and founder of Whisker Media, learned through testing that Franklin is allergic to just about everything outdoors — particularly pollen and grass. Though he’s an indoor cat, he does take leashed walks in the neighborhood with Tan and travels to tradeshows as a brand ambassador and to a nursing home to offer comfort to residents. After about six months of trial-and-error treatments with different medications and dosages, Franklin’s veterinarian referred him to a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. He’s much better, but he doesn’t take leashed walks in the springtime when pollen levels are high, and his condition will need to be carefully managed for the rest of his life.Franklin Delano Tan, who is named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt “because you have to negotiate ... More with him,” suffers from severe seasonal allergies that affect his skin and ears, according to Mary Tan.Mary Tan Tan is committed to doing whatever it takes to help her cat with his severe seasonal allergies because it was “distressing” to see him so uncomfortable and itchy, often scratching his ears until they turned red. “I had to do something. My pets are my children,” she said. “I’ve never encountered anything like this.” A Veterinarian’s Perspective On Seasonal Allergies In Cats Cats can have mild to severe symptoms from season allergies — just like humans, according to Gary Richter, DVM, owner of Holistic Veterinary Care and Rehabilitation Center in Oakland, California and author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide. “With cats, it's either skin or it can also be respiratory,” he said. “Just like with people, cats can be very sensitive in their respiratory tracts. So coughing, wheezing, even asthma, things of that nature.” Cats can react to the common allergens that affect humans, such as pollen, mold and dust, he noted. When allergies affect feline skin, symptoms include scratching at their face and ears, scabs on their skin and fur loss. “Cats being cats, they do a lot of grooming,” he said. “So sometimes what will happen is cats will start overgrooming and licking off fur. It can manifest in any number of ways."Cats fastidiously groom themselves, but they can overdo it when they are itchy from seasonal ... More allergies.getty Prevention Tips For Seasonal Allergies Dr. Richter’s top tip for helping cats with seasonal allergies — and to boost their overall health and longevity — is to keep them indoors. “Statistically speaking, cats live dramatically longer if they’re indoors than if they’re going outside,” he said. “It’s safer for the cat, it’s safer for the environment because cats are sort of relentless predators, so they’re always hunting things like birds and other small animals. It’s not impossible for a cat to have seasonal allergies indoors, but clearly their exposure is going to be dramatically lower if they’re not outside in the grass.” Indoor cats can also benefit from homes that run the air conditioner instead of opening windows. Dr. Richter recommends regularly changing or cleaning the filters in the air conditioner and possibly investing in a HEPA air purifier to help decrease exposure to dust and pollen. Additionally, he feels good nutrition can bolster a cat’s immune system. His preference is to feed pets whole foods, though he noted people concerned about bird flu in cats should avoid feeing them raw poultry. Treatment Options For Cats With Seasonal AllergiesKittens and cats can develop seasonal allergies to common allergens like grass and pollen.getty Treatment options run for cats with seasonal allergies run the gamut depending on the severity of symptoms, according to Dr. Richter. On the mild end of the spectrum, he suggests trying fish oil supplements and natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, such as quercetin and astaxanthin and herbal extracts like nettle extract. (Dr. Richter formulated a combination product called Feline Renew with omega fats and antioxidants.) Zimox, an over-the-counter enzymatic product, can help with some skin and ear infections without the potential side effects of pharmaceutical antibiotics and antifungals, he noted. “My preference as an integrative and holistic doctor is always to try and avoid the really strong immunomodulating immunosuppressive pharmaceuticals if we can get away with it,” he said. But if natural approaches don’t work, he “absolutely” recommends calling your veterinarian. Treatment for more serious allergies includes oral and injectable medications and medicated shampoos. Seeking Help For Seasonal Allergies Based on personal experience, Rachel Geller, Ed.D., founder of the nonprofit All Cats All the Time, recommends calling your veterinarian as soon as you notice any unusual symptoms in cats. Several years ago, she was concerned when her rescue cat, Sosil (a Yiddish word for “sweet"), appeared to have scabs on her face. She initially assumed the Maine Coon mix had tussled with one of her other cats. But when Sosil didn’t seem to be getting better, veterinary testing revealed she didn’t have a skin infection or cancer, but allergies.Sosil experiences severe seasonal allergies marked by itchy skin and lesions. “It’ll be raw, it’ll ... More be a little bloody, the fur will be gone,” says Dr. Rachel Geller. “You can see her skin, but the skin will be red and raw.”Dr. Rachel Geller Prescription food for cats with sensitive skin and stomachs kept symptoms at bay for a couple of years, but one dry winter, “these allergies reared their ugly head again,” according to Dr. Geller. “She will get these skin allergies and it can range from some raw lesions on her face to really bad lesions around her mouth and nose and even on her gums,” she said. “It can very easily become infected, which has happened before. Then it spreads.” During allergy flares, Sosil rubs her face on table corners to try to scratch the itchiness. So now at the first sign of any redness or rawness, Dr. Geller takes her cat straight to the animal hospital for a shot of steroids and the antibiotic injection Convenia. Sosil suffered abuse in her former home and mistrusted people when Dr. Geller adopted her six years ago, but she’s transformed into “the sweetest, wonderful cat" who is now part of the family. So Dr. Geller does whatever she can to help the 12-year-old cat — just as she would for any beloved family member. “She’s worth every penny,” she said. “I would do anything for this little baby to keep her healthy and happy. That’s what we sign up for.”

As the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill continues its progress through the Wetsminster system, NHS digital leaders have called for their suppliers to sign up to a voluntary cyber security charter as it works to build up its resilience against threats such as ransomware, and better secure its supply chain. The NHS has a long and sorry history of cyber breaches, perhaps most famously its systems came under sustained fire during the 2017 WannaCry incident. More recently, health services across south London were impacted by a cyber attack on Synnovis, a supplier of pathology lab services to various NHS trusts in the region. In light of the growing and ever-changing threat landscape, and the growing frequency and severity of incidents, the NHS said there has been a step change in recent months In an open letter to suppliers, Phil Huggins, national CISO for health and care at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Mike Fell, director of cyber operations at NHS England, and Vin Diwakar, national director of transformation at NHS England, said: “As valued partners to the NHS, it is important to us that we work together and defend as one.” The NHS is asking suppliers that where reasonably necessary – such as in the case of organisations that support clinical systems or process confidential patient data – they commit to keeping their IT systems in support and patched, to achieve and maintain at least ‘Standards Met’ under the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPOT), apply multifactor authentication alongside NHS England’s existing MFA policies, deploy always-on cyber monitoring and logging of critical infrastructure, and put in place immutable backups of critical data alongside appropriate business continuity and recovery plans. The charter also requires suppliers to conduct board level exercising on incident response, report cyber attacks affecting NHS customers in a timely manner and work with them to resolve, and only supply software produced in adherence to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) software code of practice. Huggins, Fell and Diwakar asked suppliers to commit to being an “outstanding and trusted partner” by agreeing to sign the charter. “This voluntary charter will contain the asks outlined above and show your commitment to being a trusted and secure partner to the health and care system. We will be launching a self-assessment form in the autumn, whereby suppliers can sign the charter. This will allow time for suppliers to work through the eight statements and be ready to commit,” they said. In recognition that making continuous improvements in cyber resilience in the present threat environment is a significant challenge, the NHS leaders also said they were ready and willing to ensure the health service plays its own part through, for example, developing bespoke tools that suppliers can use to audit their own supply chains in accordance with NHS needs, and defining requirements for a national supplier management platform and risk assurance model. The NHS will also review the contractual frameworks that its own organisations use to enter contracts to ensure appropriate security schedules and expectations. This piece is part of a wider government initiative in this regard. The health service plans to run a series of webinars in the coming months, and hopes to launch a supplier cyber security forum in the autumn. “For threat actors, sensitive data is the ultimate target and NHS suppliers are custodians of vast volumes of highly confidential information. In Q1 alone, healthcare was the most targeted sector by ransomware attacks globally, with 57 recorded incidents,” said BlackFog founder and CEO Darren Williams. “It’s no surprise, then, that the NHS is urging its suppliers to step up their cyber security practices in response to escalating threats across the supply chain.  “Given the spate of ransomware attacks that has impacted both public and private sector, initiatives which incentivise providers are a necessary step. It’s not only about safeguarding patient data but also ensuring the continuity of critical services.” Read more about NHS cyber incidents The ICO has issued a £3m fine to software provider Advanced in the wake of security failings that led to significant disruption to NHS customers in a ransomware attack. T and security teams at Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust continue to work around the clock following a major cyber incident, with services disrupted and no timeline for resolution. Clinicians warn that the NHS England Outcome Registries Platform has poor security and is vulnerable to cyber attack, putting critical patient data at risk of being exposed.

Lena Dunham–following the success of her 2012 comedy-drama series Girls–is my Roman Empire. Everyone knows the story: the published essays dissecting the sudden end of her long-term relationship with producer Jack Antonoff; the widespread criticisms of Girls for its lack of diversity; the poorly received comments about abortion. We witnessed the public turn on Dunham, branding her one of the most controversial writers of her time. But what was she feeling during that wave of backlash?  On July 10, Dunham and her husband, Luis Felber, will offer a loose interpretation of what life was like when they first met in 2021. If it’s anything like her past work, the series will be packed with comedy, emotional honesty and sharp introspection. As Dunham put it in a Variety interview about meeting Felber: “When I met my husband, I was dazzled by just how much baggage two people could bring to the table.” The highly anticipated series, Too Much, co-written by Dunham and Felber, premieres on Netflix on July 10.  “Co-created by Dunham and Luis Ferber, Too Much centers on Jessica (Meg Stalter) a New York workaholic in her mid-thirties, reeling from a broken relationship that she thought would last forever and slowly isolating everyone she knows. When every block in New York tells a story of her own bad behaviour, the only solution is to take a job in London, where she plans to live a life of solitude like a Bronte sister. But when she meets Felix (Will Sharpe) – a walking series of red flags – she finds that their unusual connection is impossible to ignore, even as it creates more problems than it solves. Now they have to ask themselves: do Americans and Brits actually speak the same language?” Read more at Deadline A period romance about two young artists that fall in love in Paris just before becoming recognized as cultural icons– yes, please; plus, the Bill Pohlad directed project, Miles and Juliette, will be produced by none other than Mick Jagger– double yes!  Just in time for the recent wave of buzz surrounding new movies during the Cannes Film Festival, Damson Idris, who is currently filming opposite Brad Pitt in Paramount’s upcoming fantasy film Children of Blood and Bone, has been set to play Miles Davis, alongside Anamaria Vartolomei as Juliette Gréco in Pohlad’s latest project.  “According to the project’s description, Miles & Juliette follows ‘22-year-old Miles Davis (Idris) on a transformative trip to Paris in 1949, where he falls into a passionate romance with Juliette Gréco (Vartolomei), the French singer, actress, and Left Bank icon. What begins as an intimate affair blossoms into a profound connection between two young artists — just before they became cultural legends.’” Read more at The Hollywood Reporter On Sunday, Sony Pictures Television was able to secure global distribution rights to Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner’s relationship comedy series, The Miniature Wife.  The series features a star-studded cast of regulars and recurring characters, with Elizabeth Banks and Emmy-winner Matthew Macfadyen in the leading roles. You’re probably thinking: What do Ames and Turner mean by the miniature wife? The Media Res produced comedy series is actually based off of author Manuel Gonzalez’s short story of the same name about a man who accidentally shrinks his wife.  Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! “The relationship comedy series explores the shifting power dynamics between spouses as a technological mishap triggers the ultimate marital crisis, pitting them against each other in a battle for dominance. It will air on Peacock in the U.S.”  Read more at Variety Tuesday marked the start of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Long-awaited projects from Wes Anderson and Ari Aster are set to premiere as well as six female directed films in the Official Competition.  Last year, Sean Baker snagged the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm), which is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition, for Anora– which later won the Academy Award for Best Picture on March 2. Who will win this year’s Palm d’Or, and will the films featured at Cannes be an early indicator for the 2026 awards season like last year? We’ll have to see, but for now, even if you can’t attend the festival, keep a close eye on the daily happenings in Cannes over the next two weeks.  “Pundits complained last year’s Cannes was a light affair, but that had to do with the bottleneck created by the strikes, for one. Many auteurs return to the Croisette this year to make for a highly anticipated festival.” Read more at IndieWire The film that I’m the most excited to hear about following its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival is by far Ethan Coen’s upcoming dark comedy, Honey Don’t! The film follows Margaret Qualley as Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, who looks into strange deaths tied to a mysterious church. Who’s the priest of that deadly church? Captain America, of course!  Though it’s not in competition, the film will premiere in Cannes on the final day of the festival, as part of the midnight screenings. Though I’ll have to wait until Aug. 22 to see the dark comedy in theaters, I have a feeling there will be a lot of buzz surrounding the film following its premiere.  “Once again starring Margaret Qualley, this time as a lesbian private investigator on the trail of a cultist played by former Captain America Chris Evans, Ethan Coen’s latest, co-written alongside longtime collaborator and wife Tricia Cooke, looks to be a dark comedy through and through, firmly of a piece with Drive-Away Dolls.”  Read more at Empire Watch the trailer of HONEY, DON’T! below:

Author Project Overview“Clocked In” :A multiplayer survival-stealth game set in a retro PSX-style office environment. Players take on the roles of office workers striving to meet weekly quotas to avoid termination. Each in-game day runs from 9 AM to 5 PM, during which players must complete tasks, manage stress levels, and evade roaming adversaries like aggressive supervisors and tattletale interns. The game spans four in-game weeks, with escalating challenges each week. Success is measured by meeting individual quotas, and top performers are rewarded with the "Employee of the Month" title, granting stress relief benefits. I'm planning to develop this game using the GODOT engine.Goal: Meet weekly quotas or get “terminated”Loop: 9 AM–5 PM workdays, manage stress, avoid supervisors & tattletalesProgression: Four in-game weeks, escalating challenges, “Employee of the Month” rewardsEngine: Godot  Looking forGame Visual DesignerPrimarily 3D modeling & animation2D art and UX/UI skills a plus Our Talent So Far2× Programmers (Godot)2× Sound Designers1.5× 3D Artist (placeholder assets)1× Game Designer (me as a 3D artist) Timeline~1 year (flexible; room for extensions & creative input) ContactDiscord: scuffedalex9 please DM if interested!

When Pinch celebrated its 20th anniversary with a successful New York pop-up at the Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery last year, founders Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon began contemplating a possible permanent space in the city. It was kismet, then, when friend and collaborator Ashley Hildreth asked the London-based couple to go in on a petite apartment in a Greenwich Village brownstone with her. Since January, Pinch and Bannon have been quietly transforming the intimate, residential space into an apt showcase for their furniture and lighting, welcoming clients in for meetings and informal meals along the way. Past the building’s arched doors and stained-glass roof light, glossy white flooring leads to The Apartment, where a marble fireplace, 19th-century plaster cornicing, and sliding timber doors backdrop a capsule collection of Pinch designs, including eye-catching shelves of scaled miniatures.Exhibitions“Knit and Weave” takes over an Austrian castleSince 2014, design curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein and her family have called Schloss Hollenegg, a regal 12th-century castle about an hour south of Graz, home. Until June 1, the medieval Austrian estate will be open to the public for “Knit and Weave,” wherein 30 emerging designers have juxtaposed the building’s historical fabrics with contemporary works highlighting color and texture. Curated by Johanna Pichlbauer, the group show’s featured works explore sustainability, identity, innovation, and heritage. Standouts include Vienna designer Theresa Hattinger’s large-scale outdoor textiles, as well as Helsinki-based Aoi Yoshizawa’s loom installation that magnifies ancient weaving techniques.Craft in America presents teapots as works of artLindsey Ketterer Gates, Teapot, 2003. Photo: Tony CunhaArdent collectors Gloria and Sonny Kamm have been amassing teapots—and commissioning artists to dream up their own fantastical versions—for years, culminating in what is now considered the world’s largest collection. Last week, Los Angeles gallery Craft in America unveiled “Tea for Two” (on view through August 30), a curated glimpse into the Kamm Teapot Foundation’s impressive 17,000-piece trove. Instead of focusing on the utilitarian aspects of serving tea, the creations on display center on imagination. Consider Peter Shire’s Sunburst Accordion, which takes cues from the Memphis movement, or Marilyn da Silva’s An Unlikely Pair, a union of dazzling stripes and polka dots rendered in gold-plated copper and colored pencil. Teapot, by Lindsay Ketterer Gates, even melds stainless-steel mesh with an unlikely array of pistachio shells.AD PRO Hears…… Last week, “Chris Gustin: Ascension” opened at Donzella Project Space in New York (through June 7). Gustin, whose ceramics career spans five decades, is presenting the first solo show of his Spirit series, an assemblage of cumulus clouds standing five-feet tall.Project spotlightAll aboard! Dimorestudio revives Italy’s Orient Express trainIn 1883, Belgian engineer and entrepreneur Georges Nagelmackers launched the Orient Express in Europe, setting a new precedent in luxury rail travel. Now, the iconic train has returned to Italy as La Dolce Vita Orient Express, zipping through Venice, Tuscany, Portofino, Rome, and Sicily, with chic interiors from Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, founders of Milan-based Dimorestudio. Inspired by Italian legends—Cini Boeri, Agostino Bonalumi, and Giuseppe Capogrossi among them—the AD100 duo mixed swaths of walnut, polished brass, and jewel-toned velvet with boldly patterned textiles and bespoke furniture. Light fixtures exhibit a distinctive sheen, evocative of the 1960s and ’70s golden age.ProductDornbracht becomes even more bespokeThe Tara Handles in Leather Verdite. Courtesy of DornbrachtIn celebration of its 75th anniversary, luxury fittings brand Dornbracht has launched Dornbracht Atelier, a bespoke offering of manufactured showers, faucets, and sink fittings. The Atelier cracks open a heady spectrum of possibilities for creatives and clients who want top-quality craftsmanship matched to their particular vision. The Atelier’s offered finishes span whichever color or texture suits the project—not even leather-wrapped or checkerboard patterned options are out of reach. Engravings, logos, and other expressive accents are optional embellishments too, making a case for bathroom couture.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" The Office of the Architects of the Judicial Branch of Santa Fe has completed a morgue designed with a horizontal line that aligns with the large flat roof in Vera, Province of Santa Fe, Argentina.Under a commodatum agreement with the Provincial Government, the Judicial Morgue of the Judiciary of Santa Fe is situated on a portion of the Regional Hospital premises in the city of Vera.Named Judicial Morgue for the City of Vera, given the particular location and how the general public views this kind of architectural program, the intervention's main goal was to create a modern area that invites approach rather than rejection—or even one that people using the building's adjacent services might not notice. For this reason, the building is discreetly hidden behind reachable embankments covered with natural vegetation, leaving the viewer with only a horizontal line that is in line with the large flat roof that encloses the reception area, office spaces, the actual morgue, and the perimeter of the intermediate galleries. Rooms facing the back of the concrete embankment or adjacent plots are prioritized from the inside.Even though the main structure is surrounded by the embankments, the building was positioned to be visible in its entirety from nearly every aspect due to the lot's proportions. Its conserved native forest, which is included into the concept, produces diverse experiences when walked about at ground level, through the pedestrian entry, or via the car access road. The deliberate image of the "fifth façade"—an abstraction made up of the entire roof structure, the vertical boundary along the street, the infrastructure areas, the vehicle access road, the perimeter lines of the embankments and pedestrian access—is given special attention.Wind, shadow, rain, sun, and vegetation all become protagonists, meticulously incorporated into the architectural concept, as environmental and climatic aspects were carefully studied in the creation of this unique program. The structure is arranged around galleries, which act as areas of transition between the outside and the inside and, more importantly, as sun control systems, which help to lessen the harsh environment of the area. Among other things, a Venturi tube at the pedestrian entrance circulates air to chill the inside and splits to cool the outside walls.Administrative offices, conference rooms, identification rooms, cold storage rooms, X-ray and picture interpretation rooms, inclusive locker rooms, autopsy rooms, loading/unloading garages, pathological waste storage, and a main hall and reception area are all part of the functional plan. An infrastructure equipment cluster that houses air conditioning condensers, refrigeration units, a chiller, a hydropneumatic tank, a generator, and an external guard room are examples of supporting spaces. These are surrounded by an exposed shell of reinforced concrete walls and roof and are situated outside the huge metal roof.The courtyard, the pedestrian entrance, and the encircling galleries are notable semi-covered areas. They all have enormous circular open skylights that let in rainwater or filtered sunlight, making the room feel cozy and inviting for both professionals and guests. A semicircular bench serves as a reflective seating space beneath the skylights. Similar to how the building is visually protected from the exterior by concrete embankments covered in vegetation and purposefully placed pedestrian openings away from the hospital, the interior is similarly protected by intermediate areas that are intended to lessen the proximity and animosity of the reinforced concrete envelope to the south. This is accomplished by paving a courtyard with loose river stones of various colors, which lessens the impression on the eye and permits future plants to grow in between the stones.The building's partially covered sections face the designated vehicle access road to the north, and vertical screens act as a physical barrier in front of the urban street's protected row of native trees that border the entrance. Using metal structures, sheet metal, circular-section tubes, and a reinforced concrete planter, the physical boundary between the lot and the street was given special design consideration. This creates an expressive, organic line that opens up urban sightlines and draws attention to the main gate and institutional signage.The autopsy room and its auxiliary spaces are the heart of a morgue, thus biosafety regulations and the best use of circulation and support rooms were taken into consideration when designing the spaces. To circulate air and safeguard the working staff, the facility has specifically built climate control systems (power capacity and unique filters). It has a digital X-ray machine, surgical-grade lighting, specialized storage equipment, and two cutting-edge stainless steel autopsy tables made by national suppliers. Filtered natural light is let in through micro-perforated metal panels, softening the space's clinical feel. The main views are of the north inner courtyard.The building's infrastructure includes a generator for continuous power supply, self-sufficient solar power, a single absorption pit and separate outputs for pre-treating liquid waste that eventually discharges into the sewer system, and connections to municipal water and electricity. Additionally, it has video surveillance, complete climate control throughout, and intrusion and fire alarm systems. Interlocking permeable pavers and intermediate chambers were used to address drainage and paving issues caused by the lengthy access road that connected the building to the city roadway.Aluminum window frames, gypsum rock walls, oxidized metal sheets for the galleries' and semi-covered areas' ceilings, flush-joint interior ceilings, exposed reinforced concrete for the external envelope, hermetically sealed double-glazing in specific geometries for the operational spaces, and reinforced concrete partitions covered in perforated and plain metal sheets are among the materials used in the building. At the site and car entrances, the vehicle access road has unique wood elements, precast stormwater drains, and articulated paving. The structure is decorated with polished 30x30 cm granite mosaic tiles, and the kitchens and bathrooms have custom black Brazilian granite countertops. Whenever feasible, national and local suppliers were used.All things considered, this project has presented a big challenge for the professionals in our office, but its completion allows us to keep trying new things in the future. By bringing compassion and respect to a function that is usually disregarded because of its negative implications, it enables us to "reconsider our relationship with the afterlife." In the end, it is a project that offers the balance of beauty and usefulness that is the ultimate aim of architecture by articulating and integrating spaces to make them livable and noticeable.Section AASection BBEast elevationWest elevationNorth elevationSouth elevationProject factsProject name: Judicial Morgue for the City of VeraClient: Judicial Branch of the Province of Santa FeArchitectural Office: Office of the Architects of the Judicial Branch of Santa Fe / (Architect Adelia Sebastián - Architect Carreras Luis - Tech. Gonzalez Javier - Architect Batlle Casas Barbara - Basualdo Gonzalo - Tech. Grippaldi Bruno - Architect Soriano Sebastián)Architect(s) in charge: Architect Adelia SebastiánTechnical Support: Architect Guillermo Goddio - Architect Ramiro SosaConstruction Company: Cocyar S.A.Construction completion year: 2024Lot area: 5,000 m2Covered area: 402 m2Semi-covered area: 980 m2Project year: 2022Location: Vera, Province of Santa Fe, ArgentinaProgram: Institutional (Judicial Morgue)All images © Ramiro Sosa.All drawings © Office of the Architects of the Judicial Branch of Santa Fe.> via Office of the Architects of the Judicial Branch of Santa Fe