Catch This Year’s Strawberry Moon Lighting Up the Sky on June 11 The last full moon before summer kicks off is one of the lowest of the year in the Northern Hemisphere A full moon on June 28, 2018, as seen from Manchester, England. The reddish glow is likely due to the 2018 Saddleworth Moor wildfires.  Benjamin Shaw, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Summer will officially begin with this year's solstice on June 20. And on Wednesday, June 11, comes a "strawberry moon," the last full moon of the Northern Hemisphere's spring. It will be at its brightest at 3:44 a.m. Eastern time in the United States. Its name, however, isn't related to the moon's color. The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which has charted everything from celestial bodies to the best time to plant vegetables since 1792, popularized useful nicknames for every month's full moon. According to the almanac, the name strawberry moon has been used by Native peoples, such as the Algonquian, Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota, to mark the harvest time of “June-bearing” strawberries. "Mead moon" or "honey moon" are old European nicknames for June's full moon, according to National Geographic, and may have similarly been inspired by honey harvesting. In the Northern Hemisphere, the strawberry moon is one of the lowest full moons of the year. That's because June's full moon usually takes place closest to the summer solstice, which is when the Earth is in the lowest point of its tilted orbit around the sun, and thus the sun appears at its peak height in our skies. Full moons occur when they are opposite the sun in respect to Earth, so if the sun is in its highest point, the moon is in its lowest, as reported by Live Science's Jamie Carter. Earth will reach its aphelion—or the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around the sun—on July 3, making the strawberry moon one of the farthest full moons from our star, per Live Science. Earth's summer and winter solstices NASA Because of its position in the sky, June's full moon may live up to its nickname by appearing more colorful. According to NASA, when the moon hangs low, it "tends to have a more yellow or orange hue" than when it's high because its light has to travel through a thicker portion of the atmosphere to reach our view. This means a greater number of long red wavelengths survive the journey than short blue ones. Pollution, dust or wildfires can also make the moon appear more red. The strawberry moon is distinct from the blood moon, however, notes Fox61's Krys Shahin. Blood moons—like the one that graced our skies in March—occur during total lunar eclipses, when the sun, the Earth and the moon line up in a way that makes the Earth block most of the sun's light from reaching the moon. The light that manages to seep around our planet and still reach the moon has to filter through our atmosphere, meaning mostly red wavelengths make it through once again. Though the strawberry moon will reach its peak early Wednesday morning, the best time to see it will be when it rises over the horizon at dusk on Tuesday evening, per Live Science. As reported by Discover Magazine's Stephanie Edwards, Mars will also be visible on June 11. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday. More about: Moon Sky Watching Guide Sun

Even as children, we in the U.S. learn that June brings good things—warmer weather, ice cream trucks, and most significantly, summer break from school. As an adult, all of those things still matter to me (substitute summer break for outdoorsy weekends), but the arrival of summer produce has crept up to the top of my June list of good things. In this monthly article, I take a look at the fruits and veggies coming into season and some incredible ways you can use them. Let’s dive into June's offerings. Why seasonal and local produce is greatLong distance shipping for out-of-season produce is convenient, but there is usually a price to pay with literal higher prices or lesser quality (or both). Using seasonal produce is a step toward supporting smaller farms situated somewhere closer to where you live rather than a monoculture farm somewhere far away. A big, healthy harvest with shorter shipping distances likely means a cheaper price tag for you. And hopefully the produce exhibits the best possible flavor profile since it doesn’t have to travel great distances to arrive at your market. Buying local and in season means you’ll possibly see a greater variety of tender greens and delicate fruits that don’t travel out of state well. Those little strawberries that pop up at the farmers market are so juicy and delicate you’d never see them packed up and shipped out across the country—they’d be turned into jam before they got a chance to leave. Go to those summer farmers markets downtown and reap the benefits of the juiciest summer fruit.  What’s in season right nowYou’re probably seeing it already, but everywhere from tiny produce markets to big box grocery stores are growing fuller with the very beginnings of summer produce glut, and the prices are dropping. Personally, I’m celebrating the low berry prices with morning smoothies. (If you’re a fruit smoothie-enthusiast like I am, here are a couple great blenders that might interest you.) For those who are growing their own food, keep up with our Home and Garden section for tips.The new produce coming in for June:ApricotsSweet Cherries (not quite yet for tart cherries)StrawberriesBlueberriesRaspberriesBlackberriesBeetsBroccoli Cabbage Garlic scapesGreen peasMustard greensZucchini & summer squashSay, "au revoir" to:AsparagusArugulaRampsParsnipsProduce in peak season:Beet greensLettuceRadishes and their greensRhubarbSpinachTurnipsChardSnap peasSnow peasNote that your specific region may be warmer or cooler, or farther away—so don’t worry if floods of strawberries haven’t arrived yet, or if you still have loads of wild ramps growing in the yard. Nature will do its thing, and we’ll continue trying to keep up.What to cook with your spring bountyFruitsJune is the beginning of having all the fun you want to have when it comes to recipes. Let’s start with fruit. We’re looking at loads of berries for the next few months and the beginnings of stone fruits, so I recommend warming up those ovens. I know that sounds too hot, but think of the pies! Cherry pies, Strawberry-rhubarb, apricot and blackberry, blueberry-goat-cheese tarts—you simply must make some. To help you along, here’s my fail-proof way to lattice pie crust, and my best advice on preventing soggy fruit pies. They’re well worth a read if you’ve had trouble in the past.If you’d rather be stuck in a room with a pack of wild 7-year-olds than make a pie, OK fine. Make a fruit trifle with leftover cake, stuff delicious biscuits with summer fruit and whipped cream, and why not take a crack at your own homemade berry ice cream. I made vanilla bean ice cream with a swirl of fresh raspberry compote and I felt pretty damn pleased with myself. If you’re shopping for affordable ice cream machines, I just tested and reviewed this Cuisinart.As I mentioned, fruit smoothies always welcome a handful of frozen berries. I should mention (and I’ll say this again at the end of the season): Freezing your berries is the best way to reduce waste. (Here’s the best way to freeze fruit.) If you’re using berries to top yogurt or granola, there’s no need to freeze it, but if you’re baking with fruit, making jams, or blending smoothies, freezing is extremely helpful. Pop the fruit in the freezer in the container it came in (hull strawberries first, and halve the big ones). After a few hours, they’ll be solid and you can dump them into a zip-top freezer bag for easier freezer storage.Vegetables All the cruciferous veggies are going strong right now, so go ahead and get that fiber. Use shaved broccoli and cabbage in a salad. Wilt spinach, chard, or mustard greens down in a hearty soup. My absolute favorite thing to do with summer zucchini is to make Thai kai jiao. You can use different vegetables in this dish, but zucchini is my all-time favorite. You also can’t go wrong with grilling big, fat planks of summer squash and drizzling them with a light vinaigrette. Got lots of crisp lettuce? Well, you can always bulk up your warm salads or do what I do and add it to every sandwich. Bacon, egg, cheese, and lettuce. Meatball parm sub and lettuce. Peanut butter and—OK, maybe not that one. Pay special attention to the fleeting produce like rhubarb, ramps, and scapes. They’re around for just a blink so grab them up. Try roasting your rhubarb with strawberries for a sweet, tart, and caramelized treat. Enjoy the best of June produce, and hopefully we’ll get a peek at tomatoes at the end of the month. 

For his first solo venture, noted chef Mateusz Sarnowski, more affectionately known as Mati Pichci, wanted his restaurant to be the embodiment of the name he had chosen. In Latin, amator refers to a lover, a friend, an enthusiast, all descriptions of people who might dine at the new establishment located in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. To bring his vision of a Danish hjemme spisested or “home dining place” to life, Pichci tapped his friend and fellow Poland native, Adam Wierciński, founder of wiercinski-studio, to design the space, the architect’s first in the city. He envisioned AMATOR as an inviting place where guests could dine and socialize, inspired by the many festive gatherings hosted by Pichci. Wierciński made the most of the compact 538-square-foot space, transforming it into three spots in one: a café, a restaurant, and a venue for private events. During the day the kitchen serves breakfast and lunch. Flavorful fare includes dishes based on seasonal vegetables and the chef’s personal favorite, a classic omelette. Evenings, meanwhile, are reserved for private candlelit dinners. Near the entrance there is a wall-mounted installation featuring a piece of a tree trunk from a forest in Poland, a nod to the project’s prevalent materials. Simple geometric constructions – also designed by Wierciński – are formed of raw steel combined with solid wood. A high counter by the front window offers a view of charming townhouses, a perfect spot to tuck in with a beverage. Rather than basic bistro furnishings, a communal table is the focal point in the restaurant. Made up of a series of small tops, it includes interspersed plates atop stands that are used to hold food, drinks, or even candles. Each oak top is angled, and together they form a distinctive jagged line. Gaps between the tops give the look of separate tables, but by pulling out steel rings they can be easily combined into one large piece. Patrons sit at space-saving oak stools, initial items in the upcoming wiercinski-objects series. A bar, crafted from the same materials, and enhanced with brown mirrors, separates the open kitchen. Pops of the same yellow that fills in the eatery’s signature brand dot are visible here. This sunny shade is found on ceramic tableware and plywood shelves above the gray tile backsplash. Stainless steel elements, from sconces to circular mirrors, add a bit of shine. In a nook at the rear of the space a selection of vinyl from a range of genres is available to spin on a turntable, and custom-made speakers by local company Arda Audio ensure high-quality sound. Music is another key ingredient, and just like the cuisine, is part of the overall sensory experience at AMATOR. Mati Pichci and Adam Wierciński For more information on AMATOR or wiercinski-studio, visit wiercinski-studio.com. Photography by Paolo Galgani.

You know the scene: someone reaches for a suspiciously dusty book in a stately library, the bookshelf creaks, and boom—a hidden passage swings open. Maybe it’s a secret tunnel, maybe it’s a villain’s lair, maybe it’s just where they keep the good snacks. Either way, it’s drama. It’s mystery. It’s very extra. And guess what? That magic is no longer reserved for Scooby-Doo or Sherlock Holmes.Thanks to interior designers’ customization offerings, as well as hidden-door-specific brands such as Murphy Door and Creative Home Engineering, those secret swings and sneaky reveals are showing up in real-life homes—and homeowners are absolutely obsessed. Like, “I’ll take three, please and thank you” obsessed.Designer Lynn Kloythanomsup of Landed Interiors and Home installed a Murphy Door to conceal a hallway bathroom in a San Francisco home.Haris KenjarTa-da! With a push of the shelf a pretty powder room is revealed.Haris KenjarThese cleverly disguised doors are popping up everywhere, from kitchens and closets to home offices and bedrooms, proving that the only thing better than good design is a good surprise. “There’s nothing better than a hidden surprise,” says interior designer Maria Vassiliou of Maria Zoe Designs. Shock value aside, Murphy doors can also have practical benefits as well. “Hidden doors often come with features like shelving, allowing for better organization and use of space,” says Vassiliou. They can also be designed to blend seamlessly with cabinetry.”Translation: not only do hidden doors look cool, they can actually do something. (Imagine that!) Here’s everything you need to know about hidden doors.A built in bookcase with a secret tucked within a modern mountain barn by A Classical Studio. Heidi HarrisA little push is all it takes to reveal a secret passageway behind the shelf. Heidi HarrisWhat, Exactly, Is a Murphy Door?There’s a difference between a well-disguised door and a hidden one. You can flush-mount a jib door into the wall, wrap it in wallpaper, and remove the hardware to make it nearly invisible. These minimalist doors are scattered throughout design-forward interiors. But a Murphy Door is something entirely different. It’s not invisible—it’s intentionally integrated. It could be a bookshelf, a staircase, or even a wine rack. It’s meant to be lived with, decorated, and admired. But here’s the catch: you’d never guess it’s also a door. HEIDI GELDHAUSER HARRISIn this dining room, designer Clary Bosbyshell used the same mural wallpaper to create a seamless transition on a jib door.Of course, the thrill factor is still alive and well. If you’ve ever walked through the fridge to get into Good Times at Davey Wayne’s in L.A., or slipped through the vending machine into Basement in NYC’s Chinatown, or snuck behind the bookshelf at Eatapas in Fort Lauderdale, then you know: a hidden entrance makes everything instantly cooler. And yes, your house deserves to be that cool. Take this Central Texas home designed by Sarah Stacey of Sarah Stacey Interior Design. She cleverly utilized an iconic British telephone booth as the secret entrance between the home’s garage-turned-speakeasy and dance hall. Then there’s the Grandpa who created his own version of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia by enclosing a secret room within his bedroom wardrobe. STEPHEN KARLISCHDesigner Sarah Stacey brought on a contractor to remove the back of the booth to recast it as a hidden door.What Styles of Murphy Doors Are Available?Murphy Door’s lineup is basically a choose-your-own-adventure of hidden access points. Want a full-length Mirror Door that’s secretly a portal to your glam room? Done. Need a Pantry Door to hide your cereal stash and your coffee machine? There’s a Murphy Door for that too. Or you can do your own custom built-in like Vassiliou did in her clients’ home below. “The hidden door allows the homeowners to hide away items that might otherwise seem cluttered, such as small appliances like coffee machines and toaster ovens and extra pantry items like fruit, vegetables and snacks,” she says.This seems to be just another display cabinet in this butler's pantry designed by Marie Zoe Designs.Linda Pordon PhotographyThis opens up to reveal additional storage and even tucked away appliances. Linda Pordon Photography“A Murphy Door isn’t just a door—it’s a gateway to possibility,” says Jeremy Barker, Founder and CEO at Murphy Door. “Homeowners are drawn to the idea that behind what looks like an ordinary bookcase or cabinet is something deeply personal: a wine cellar, a hidden study, a secure space, or even a walk-in pantry.”Murphy Door’s newest launches—debuted at the 2025 NAHB International Builders Show—include the Archway Bookcase Door for that Beauty and the Beast library moment, the Speakeasy Door if you want to relive the thrill of the prohibition, and let’s not forget the Tactical Murphy Door, which sounds like it moonlights as a Marvel superhero but is actually just a very secure place to keep your valuables. They also offer a number of these doors in a French Door style making way for double the drama and mystery.Courtesy of Murphy DoorOne of Murphy Door’s newest additions, the Archway Bookcase Door, in green. Where Can I Install a Murphy Door?These doors are as functional as they are fun. But the best part? Hidden doors can be installed in a variety of places. According to Steve Humble, president of Creative Home Engineering, the world’s premier designer and manufacturer of motorized and high-security secret passageways, “location is the first thing you must consider when installing a hidden door in your home. It determines which door ideas are feasible.” Humble recommends primary bedrooms, bathrooms, libraries, wardrobes, and basements as the top five locations to install a secret passthrough. With staircases as a very close runner up. No matter where you install them, they save space. They hide mess. They make you feel like you’re living in your own secret lair—but in a more chic versus villainous way.SARAH HEBENSTREITDesigner Regan Baker installed a bookshelf Murphy Door under a staircase to add function to an underused space. In a world where everyone’s trying to declutter, hide the chaos, and add personality to their space, hidden doors offer the perfect triple threat: style, storage, and just the right amount of sass. Because honestly, who doesn’t want to feel like they're in a Bond movie while grabbing a protein bar? “The appeal is emotional and functional,” says Barker. “They’re not just entrances, they’re the first step into an experience tailored to your vision.”Bottom line: Hidden doors aren’t just a trend—they’re a (secret) lifestyle. So go ahead, pull that book, press that panel, and swing open the possibilities. Your home’s next best-kept secret is just a hinge away. Shop Murphy DoorsSpice Rack Door$2,282 at Murphy DoorsCredit: Murphy DoorsArchway Bookcase Door$2,762 at Murphy DoorCredit: CREDIT: MURPHY DOORMirror Door$2,092 at Murphy DoorCredit: CREDIT: MURPHY DOORHamper Door$2,569 at Murphy DoorCredit: Murphy Doors

Male fertility rates have been plummeting over the past half-century. An analysis from 1992 noted a steady decrease in sperm counts and quality since the 1940s. A more recent study found that male infertility rates increased nearly 80% from 1990 to 2019. The reasons driving this trend remain a mystery, but frequently cited culprits include obesity, poor diet, and environmental toxins. Infectious diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia are often overlooked factors that affect fertility in men. Accumulating evidence suggests that a common single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii may also be a contributor: An April 2025 study showed for the first time that “human sperm lose their heads upon direct contact” with the parasite. I am a microbiologist, and my lab studies Toxoplasma. This new study bolsters emerging findings that underscore the importance of preventing this parasitic infection. The many ways you can get toxoplasmosis Infected cats defecate Toxoplasma eggs into the litter box, garden or other places in the environment where they can be picked up by humans or other animals. Water, shellfish and unwashed fruits and vegetables can also harbor infectious parasite eggs. In addition to eggs, tissue cysts present in the meat of warm-blooded animals can spread toxoplasmosis as well if they are not destroyed by cooking to proper temperature. While most hosts of the parasite can control the initial infection with few if any symptoms, Toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue. These cysts can reactivate and cause additional episodes of severe illness that damage critical organ systems. Between 30% and 50% of the world’s population is permanently infected with Toxoplasma due to the many ways the parasite can spread. Toxoplasma can target male reproductive organs Upon infection, Toxoplasma spreads to virtually every organ and skeletal muscle. Evidence that Toxoplasma can also target human male reproductive organs first surfaced during the height of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, when some patients presented with the parasitic infection in their testes. While immunocompromised patients are most at risk for testicular toxoplasmosis, it can also occur in otherwise healthy individuals. Imaging studies of infected mice confirm that Toxoplasma parasites quickly travel to the testes in addition to the brain and eyes within days of infection. Toxoplasma cysts floating in cat feces. DPDx Image Library/CDC In 2017, my colleagues and I found that Toxoplasma can also form cysts in mouse prostates. Researchers have also observed these parasites in the ejaculate of many animals, including human semen, raising the possibility of sexual transmission. Knowing that Toxoplasma can reside in male reproductive organs has prompted analyses of fertility in infected men. A small 2021 study in Prague of 163 men infected with Toxoplasma found that over 86% had semen anomalies. A 2002 study in China found that infertile couples are more likely to have a Toxoplasma infection than fertile couples, 34.83% versus 12.11%. A 2005 study in China also found that sterile men are more likely to test positive for Toxoplasma than fertile men. Not all studies, however, produce a link between toxoplasmosis and sperm quality. Toxoplasma can directly damage human sperm Toxoplasmosis in animals mirrors infection in humans, which allows researchers to address questions that are not easy to examine in people. Testicular function and sperm production are sharply diminished in Toxoplasma-infected mice, rats and rams. Infected mice have significantly lower sperm counts and a higher proportion of abnormally shaped sperm. In that April 2025 study, researchers from Germany, Uruguay, and Chile observed that Toxoplasma can reach the testes and epididymis, the tube where sperm mature and are stored, two days after infection in mice. This finding prompted the team to test what happens when the parasite comes into direct contact with human sperm in a test tube. After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded. The number of decapitated sperm increased the longer they interacted with the parasites. Sperm cells that maintained their head were often twisted and misshapen. Some sperm cells had holes in their head, suggesting the parasites were trying to invade them as it would any other type of cell in the organs it infiltrates. In addition to direct contact, Toxoplasma may also damage sperm because the infection promotes chronic inflammation. Inflammatory conditions in the male reproductive tract are harmful to sperm production and function. The researchers speculate that the harmful effects Toxoplasma may have on sperm could be contributing to large global declines in male fertility over the past decades. Sperm exposed to Toxoplasma. Arrows point to holes and other damage to the sperm; asterisks indicate where the parasite has burrowed. The two nonconfronted controls at the bottom show normal sperm. Rojas-Barón et al/The FEBS Journal, CC BY-SA Preventing toxoplasmosis The evidence that Toxoplasma can infiltrate male reproductive organs in animals is compelling, but whether this produces health issues in people remains unclear. Testicular toxoplasmosis shows that parasites can invade human testes, but symptomatic disease is very rare. Studies to date that show defects in the sperm of infected men are too small to draw firm conclusions at this time. Additionally, some reports suggest that rates of toxoplasmosis in high-income countries have not been increasing over the past few decades while male infertility was rising, so it’s likely to only be one part of the puzzle. Regardless of this parasite’s potential effect on fertility, it is wise to avoid Toxoplasma. An infection can cause miscarriage or birth defects if someone acquires it for the first time during pregnancy, and it can be life-threatening for immunocompromised people. Toxoplasma is also the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States. Taking proper care of your cat, promptly cleaning the litter box and thoroughly washing your hands after can help reduce your exposure to Toxoplasma. You can also protect yourself from this parasite by washing fruits and vegetables, cooking meat to proper temperatures before consuming and avoiding raw shellfish, raw water and raw milk. Bill Sullivan, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

This summer is predicted to be another scorcher, with record breaking temperatures across the U.S. beginning in June. While traditional summer crops do require heat, which is why we wait for summer to grow them, extreme heat waves or heat domes are a different thing altogether. Plants have a series of behaviors they'll display when under heat pressure. They can wilt, which is what it sounds like, due to water stress. Leaves will droop, and the solution isn't necessarily more water, but letting the plant ride out the wave with some shade, if you can provide it. Plants may bolt, which is when they stop growing leaves or fruit and instead, thinking they are at the end of their life, send up a flower, which will quickly go to seed. Once this flower is present, which the plant focuses all its energy on, the fruit and leaves will become bitter. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to "solve" bolting, except pull the plant and start over. And heat isn't the only threat: Fruit and leaves can also experience sun scald, which is basically a sunburn. You can see these spots on your tomatoes and pumpkins, which appear white, rather than red like they would on human skin. In most cases, plants will survive sunburn, but it puts the plant under additional stress and makes it more susceptible to other garden threats like disease. The best solution is to choose plants that will tolerate heat spikes, and then provide some support to your plants by watering evenly, giving shade when you can in the afternoon sun, and not planting, transplanting, or fertilizing during these spikes, all of which are stressful for plants. Greens that will survive a heat spikeWhile there are bolt-resistant lettuces you can grow, a true heat dome is simply too much stress, and most lettuce will go to seed. For heat-resistant greens, consider kale, which is hardy in both extreme cold and heat. Collards, known for the greens they produce, are also going to survive a heat wave without wilting, which is why they're popular across the south. The crop you might not have heard of yet is malabar spinach. While traditional spinach is a spring and shoulder season crop and won't do well even in an average summer, malabar (which is not actually related to real spinach) is a vining plant from India that tastes remarkably similar and has become popular for its resilience. Okra and corn are at home in the heatConsidering crops that have been popular in geographies that experience more heat than we're used to is a good strategy for finding vegetables that'll survive extreme temperatures. Okra is from Ethiopia, so heat resistance is part of the plant's DNA. Okra sometimes gets a bad rap for becoming slimy in recipes, but I urge you to consider growing it. There are two varieties of okra: I recommend only planting the spineless variety. The "spines" are spikes that can make touching and harvesting okra painful. Credit: Amanda Blum Corn may be a resource hog in your garden, requiring a lot of additional nitrogen to be productive, but it is also highly tolerant. Corn can survive in over 110 degree temperatures and still produce crops reliably, so long as those temperature spikes aren't extended. A true summer crop, corn needs 70 degree weather to grow, which is why you wait until June to plant corn seed. Vining plants like luffa, tepary beans, and yardlong beans To be fair, most people don't eat luffa (though you can); they know it instead as loofah, a sponge-like material used in "natural" scrubbing. But truly, luffa is a form of vining squash, which will grow prolifically, adores the sun, and thrives in prolonged heat. When the fruit is allowed to dry on the vine, the flesh can be stripped off, leaving behind the luffa, which looks precisely like loofah you purchase, and can be used immediately. There are plenty of pole beans (beans that climb, as opposed to bush beans, which do not) that originated in hot climates and will do well in a heat wave. Tepary beans, for instance: These beans are native to the Southwest U.S. and Mexico, and will spend the summer climbing and producing pods. Harvest them in the fall before the rain starts, and store them as dry beans. Yardlong beans are closer to a green bean. Still a vining bean, they can produce beans that are well over a foot long, as their name suggests. These summer stars prefer less water, and they will thrive anywhere they have support, like a trellis. Soybeans need the heatWhile not a vining bean, but a bush bean, soybeans are an easy crop to grow if you've got enough heat. These sun-tolerant plants will produce a limited amount of pods per plant, so they need to be grown in groups, but they require almost no support except watering. Harvest the pods and eat the beans steamed fresh, as you would in your favorite Japanese restaurant, or dry them to make soy milk or tofu. Squash and melons love the heatThere are two kinds of squash: summer and winter. Summer squash includes crops like zucchini, yellow squash, and pumpkins. Winter squash includes crops like acorn squash, butternut, spaghetti, and others. Both kinds of squash are traditionally grown in summer, and both are surprisingly resilient in heat. While you might experience sunburn on some fruit, squash is famous for providing shade due to the large leaves, and they will not only take care of most fruit, shielding it, but will also protect nearby plants by shading them, as well. So long as you keep your melons apart from your cucumbers and squash so they don't cross pollinate, your vining melons are likely to survive a heat wave with the same caveats as squash: Look for fruit that is exposed and cover it from sunburn, but the plant will mostly take care of that on its own. Sweet potatoes are built for high tempsOriginally from Polynesia, sweet potatoes are an excellent crop for beginning gardeners. They're easy to cultivate seedlings (called slips) from any sweet potato you bring home from the store. Once planted, they produce prolific above-ground vines that are showy with flowers, while below ground the potatoes grow over 120 days. These plants not only tolerate but thrive in heat.

Update [Sun 25th May 2025, 5am]: Level-5 has shared an “important notice" regarding the Switch and also the Xbox version of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time - mentioning how scheduling adjustments for the update rollout are “expected to be delayed”. These issues are scheduled to be resolved in the Version 1.2.1 update, “planned for release around May 29”. In the meantime, here are the following issues popping up for Switch and Xbox, along with "other planned fixes" for the game:Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube814kWatch on YouTube Important Notice (22nd May 2025) Switch & Xbox: In quests for Crafting Lives, some Recipes may be hard to find in the Recipe Menu, making it feel like progression is not possible. Workaround If you can’t locate the required Recipe for a quest, go to the “Quests” tab on the Recipe Menu and scroll down to find it. Switch: While inside a Treasure Grove or a shrine in Ginormosia, if a player edits and saves Stickers/Emotes/Quick Texts in the Greetings tab of the Options and then restarts the game immediately afterward, a progression-blocking bug may occur. Workaround There are several workarounds for this issue. If the bug occurs inside a Treasure Grove: Select "Give Up" on the Weird Pad to exit the Treasure Grove. This will allow you to continue playing the game. If the bug occurs inside a shrine in Ginormosia outside of Chapter 2, "Head towards Skelegon": Select "Teleportation Gate" on the Weird Pad to leave the shrine and continue playing. If the bug occurs in a shrine on Ginormosia during Chapter 2, "Head towards Skelegon":This issue is scheduled to be fixed in version 1.2.1, planned for release around May 29. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Switch & Xbox: During the Main Story Chapter 6, "Go to the Cave of Trials," if you travel to Ginormosia and watch the event scene which plays after clearing multiple shrine minigames, you may become unable to enter the Cave of Trials, preventing progression. Workaround If you have the Story Quest selected, the upper right of the screen will display "Go to the Cave of Trials." While this message is shown, please avoid triggering the event scene that plays after clearing multiple shrine minigames on Ginormosia. Switch & Xbox: If a player triggers the Guild Office expansion event scene while carrying a Guild Office Relocation Kit, and uses the kit afterward, two Guild Offices will appear. Workaround If you are carrying a Guild Office Relocation Kit, please avoid triggering the Guild Office expansion event scene that occurs when recruiting new companions. There are also some other planned fixes: Other Planned Fixes Switch & Xbox: Fixing an issue where players are unable to draw their weapon during the first battle tutorial, preventing progression. Adjusting the UI in the "Life Challenges" tab of the Quests Menu to make it clearer that a Life can be selected. Adding a new feature called "Instant Help" to support players as they progress through their adventure. Fixing an issue where the "!" icon on the Quests Menu would not disappear. Adjusting multiplayer so that progress can be made on accepted quests even during multiplayer sessions. Switch: Fixing an issue occurring on certain cutscenes, where pausing the game while the "Auto" setting is enabled causes all inputs except for "Skip" to become unresponsive. Fixing an issue that prevents the acquisition of certain Recipes as quest completion rewards, in case the Tailor or Artist Novice Challenges were skipped. Original Story: [Sun 18th May, 2025 02:55 BST]: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time arrives on the Switch next week and ahead of release Level-5 is rolling out an early access update on select platforms, bumping the game up to Version 1.1.1. This will be slightly different on the Switch front - with Version 1.1.0 apparently reflecting "some of the contents of this update" on 22nd May (JST). The version that reflects "most" of the content will be released in the future as Version 1.2.0. "For the Nintendo Switch version, "ver.1.1.0", which reflects some of the contents of this update, will be released on Thursday, May 22nd (JST). The version that reflects most of the contents will be released in the future as "ver.1.2.0"." Here's a translation of the full patch notes from Level-5's official website: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Early Access Update) - Version 1.1.1 Feature additions/adjustments Adding a signature function to crafted items ●You can add a sign to equipment you create (weapons, shields, life tools, armor). There are various designs for signs, so you can set the sign you want to use by examining the workbench and selecting "Choose Sign." Added "Control Settings" to the options menu ●A menu has been added to the options that allows you to change button assignments for some actions. Added the ability to move to the Life Master ●A function has been added to the lives screen that allows you to move to the master position of each life. *This will become effective after clearing the "Apprentice Trial" for each life. Adjusted so that the companions selected in the production settings are remembered. ●When crafting an item at a workbench, the state of the companion selected on the crafting settings screen will be saved and will be displayed in the selected state the next time you craft an item. Adjusting the number of items that can be made in one production ●The maximum number of items that can be made in one production run for the recipes for "Plants," "Fences," and "Streetlights" has been increased. Organized the information about skills displayed on the equipment screen ●The content of skills displayed in the details window on the right side of the equipment screen has been reorganized. When Life is Focused - Adjusted to display only unique skills When an item is focused - Adjusted so that only equipement skills are displayedBase UI Adjustments ●Adjusted the icon display of vegetables in fields. ●Names are now displayed on placed buildings. Made crafting area objects easier to grab Made it easier to grab objects in the crafting area. Adjusted the clear condition text for the Gachadan Tree In the Gacha Dungeon Tree, when the clear condition is to "obtain a Fruit of Time," we have adjusted the text to make it easier to understand which target will drop the Fruit of Time. Map screen adjustments ●Icons have been added to the map screen/minimap to make it easier to see exits and ascending and descending levels within dungeons. Adjustment of recording prohibited areas ●Adjusted the prohibited areas for recording on the main unit. Add guides/adjust content ●The following additions/adjustments have been made to the in-game "Guide". 【addition】 "sign" Explanation of signatures that can be included in crafted items Support for production by peers Explanation of the support provided by companion NPCs in the production mini-game 『Eye & Hair Catalog』 Explanation of the "catalog" that allows you to add eyes and hairstyles [Adjustment] Coliseum Quest Adding retirement explanation "Phantom Fellows" Added explanation regarding experience distribution How to grow vegetables Added instructions on sowing and watering "Tension Techniques for Combat Life" / "Tension Techniques for Gathering Life"The same guide for combat and gathering life has been split into separate guides. Balance Changes Main story related parameter adjustments ●The parameters of enemies and gatherable items that appear in the main story have been adjusted to make the story more enjoyable to play. ●To make the storyline more enjoyable, we have adjusted the parameters required for recipes that need to be created in the main story. Area Challenge related parameter adjustments ●The conditions for achieving a gold ranking in the Legendary Challenge have been relaxed. ●The conditions for achieving a gold rating in delivery challenges have been relaxed. Bug Fixes ●Fixed an issue where players would not be guided correctly to destinations in the Main Story, Life Trials, and Requests from Everyone. ●Fixed an issue that prevented progress from occurring if you were incapacitated in battle between the start of the game and reaching Tokinone Village. ●Fixed an issue that caused progression to be impossible if the number of items received in the Life Guild receiving box exceeded the limit. ●Fixed a bug regarding obtaining items in Chapter 5 of the main story. ●Fixed a bug that occurred with obtaining items at the Mujin Sales Office. ●Fixed an issue where the parameters of equipment obtained from some treasure chests were incorrect. *After applying this patch, the parameters will be automatically corrected. Fixed an issue on the Baka Dekkana continent where following NPCs/enemies were not moving correctly relative to the terrain. ●Fixed an issue where phantom character status did not change depending on area rank. ●Fixed an issue where experience points were not distributed when obtaining an experience orb or clearing the crafting mini-game if a phantom character was in the party. Fixed an issue where skipping the Tailor and Artist Apprentice Trials would result in players not being able to obtain some of the recipes that should be obtained upon completing the trials. *After applying this patch, recipes that were not available will be automatically granted if the conditions are met. ●Fixed an issue where appearing NPCs would remain hidden when skipping the Apprentice Trial in some lives. Fixed an issue where the target would not be registered in the Pokédex when requesting gathering from a companion NPC and completing the task. ●Fixed an issue that caused the game to become uncontrollable when requesting production and attempting to produce an item that was at the maximum quantity when no companion was selected. Fixed an issue where objects could not be placed on the third level of the ground at bases. ●Fixed an issue that prevented the base message board quest "Get the highest rating in the gallery" from being completed. ●Fixed an issue in the Gachadan Tree where items buried in the Aging Altar could not be digged up. Fixed an issue where the age of a gifted aged weapon would not be displayed to the recipient. Fixed an issue where players would be unable to progress if they edited a stamp/emote/free template in the "Greetings" tab of options in the Gachadan Tree/Baka Dekkana Continent Shrine and then immediately restarted the game after saving. *We are working to recover save data that will be unable to progress after applying this patch. Fixed unintended behavior that occurred in the menu when performing renovations. ●Fixed an issue that caused buttons to become unusable after the tutorial ended depending on when the tutorial occurred. ●Fixed an issue in some event scenes where pausing the scene while it was set to "Auto" would result in no operations being accepted other than skipping. Fixed a bug that occurred in some quests. ●Fixed an issue where Trip's pinning effect did not target the correct targets when playing cooperatively with Trip (2P Family Play). ●Various bugs in multiplayer have been fixed. ●Some Japanese text and translated text have been corrected. ●Other minor bugs have been fixed. Earlier this week, the Japanese publication Famitsu awarded Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time 36 out of 40. The game's local release will kick off on 21st May, with the early access period beginning on 18th May for select platforms. A fantasy score? Will you be getting this game when it arrives on Switch next week? Let us know in the comments. [source fantasylife.jp] Related Games See Also Share:0 4 Liam is a news writer and reviewer across Hookshot Media. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of many iconic video game characters. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... 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Shutterstock 2025-05-24T10:44:01Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. Welcome back to our Saturday edition! Are you headed to the movie theater this weekend to see Tom Cruise's next big flick, "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning"? Find out why he's had such staying power. Hint: It rhymes with punts.On the agenda:Living in the forest for four years shaved a decade off a researcher's biological age.Rich Americans are booking fancy vacations. Everyone else is cutting back.Morgan Wallen is the man of the moment because of his controversies, not in spite of them.A week on Mexico's "Happy Coast," the hidden getaway of the wealthy.But first: It's cookout time.If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.This week's dispatchIt's time to sizzle and serve gorodenkoff/Getty Images Summer, is that you? :squints:With Memorial Day on Monday serving as the unofficial kick-off for summer, it's my favorite time of the year — grilling season. Get out the burgers. Get out the hot dogs. And if you'd rather not eat meat, get out the vegetables.Luckily for you, BI's Lifestyle team has been speaking with various chefs for tips on how to ensure people will be coming back to your grill asking for more.Chef Alissa Fitzgerald tells BI that a good burger starts with the kind of beef you buy. Try to aim for beef with "80% meat and 20% fat," allow them to thaw completely, and don't season them too early."Right before placing it on the grill, take a large pinch of kosher salt and gently cover the outside of the patty with a thin layer," she suggests. "Add the burger salt-side down on the grill and sprinkle some on the other side."If you're putting other types of meat on the grill, however, like steaks, you'll want to season them "a few hours before you plan on cooking it and let it sit in the fridge," Chef Marcus Jacobs tells BI.Meanwhile, when grilling chicken, Jacobs suggests creating a "blend of salt, white and black pepper, paprika, coriander, and several different types of chilies."No matter how you season or what you're throwing on the grill, check out the chefs' other tips to make sure you're not the talk of the neighborhood for the wrong reason.Touching grass David Furman When David Furman discovered his body was prematurely aging because of stress, he and his family moved to a one-room cabin in the woods to reset. Furman changed what they ate and how he exercised, and scaled back use of electronics.To his delight, the experiment worked: It dramatically improved his longevity and energy. He continues to reap the benefits now, even after leaving the forest.Travel is for the rich now Slim Aarons/Getty Images Almost half of summer travelers this year make over $100,000, according to a Deloitte survey. The wealth gap is growing, and middle-income vacationers are either staying home or opting for more budget-friendly trips.Even as demand wavers, luxury travel is booming. New accommodations are under construction, and "luxury" short-term rentals are increasing in price faster than other listings.Morgan Wallen's country John Shearer/Getty Images There's nothing sonically special about Morgan Wallen's music, and he has a habit of attracting controversy. Still, in the wake of scandals involving slurs and disorderly conduct, Wallen is more popular than ever.That's because Wallen's messiness is a key part of his brand, writes BI's Callie Ahlgrim. Fans see his scandals as proof of his authenticity, and he embodies an idea of freedom.A Happy Coast hideaway Monica Humphries/Business Insider A 155-mile stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast is a quiet vacation hot spot for the ultrawealthy. Costalegre, Spanish for "Happy Coast," is practically impossible to reach — for those without a private jet, at least.BI's Monica Humphries spent a week resort-hopping in Costalegre. Each had a different appeal, from the neighborhood feel and star-studded history at Careyes to the ATVs and private beaches at Las Alamandas.What we're watching this weekend Netflix; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI "Sirens": Julianne Moore, "The White Lotus" actor Meghann Fahy, and "House of the Dragon" standout Milly Alcock all star in Netflix's new dark comedy set in a beachside town."The Last of Us": Season two of HBO's TV show adaptation of the popular video game series ends this weekend."Nine Perfect Strangers": Nicole Kidman returns as a wellness guru in season two of the Hulu series, this time set in the Austrian Alps.See the full list iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI Deals we loveMemorial Day savings: Mattresses are almost always on sale, but our deal experts know that Memorial Day is when we see the steepest discounts. Here are the best mattress deals for the holiday weekend.Business (Insider) casual: Our men's style editors are here to help you look sharp at the office without feeling stiff. Check out our brand-new guide to the best men's business casual clothes for work.Le Creuset vs. Staub: Our kitchen experts hate to break it to you, but there's a reason the more expensive option is better. Here's why we recommend Le Creuset.More of this week's top reads:I stayed at a luxurious resort in Barbados with my young daughter. From the private pool to the stunning beach, our stay was nearly perfect.Keke Palmer said she didn't feel adequately paid in Hollywood until Jordan Peele's 'Nope' — two decades into her career.Four sandal trends that are in this summer and four that are out, according to stylists and designers.The patent behind a $182 cult-favorite skincare product recently expired. So where are all the dupes?I visited the most expensive city in Utah and spotted five signs of over-the-top wealth and luxury.Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter's choreographer shares how she gets her clients so fit they can sing and dance — in just 12 weeks.Five style mistakes a menswear designer wishes you would stop making.A 56-year-old personal trainer on how to build muscle after 40 — with rucking, body weight exercises, and short workouts.I visited Universal's new theme park, Epic Universe. I see why some people wouldn't like it, but I'd happily go back.The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

May 23, 20255 min readThe Creepy Calculus of Measuring Death RiskMeet micromorts and microlives, statistical units that help mathematicians to calculate riskBy Manon Bischoff edited by Daisy Yuhas M-SUR/Alamy Stock PhotoPeople are generally bad at assessing probabilities. That’s why we have irrational fears and why we overestimate our odds of winning the lottery.Whenever I have to travel by plane, for example, my palms sweat, my heart races and my thoughts take a gloomy turn. I should be much more worried when I get on my bike in Darmstadt, Germany, where I live. Statistically, I’m in much greater danger on the road than in the air. Yet my bike commute doesn’t cause me any stress at all.Recently, a friend told me about a concept within decision theory that is supposed to help people get a better sense of hazards and risks. In 1980 electrical engineer Ronald Arthur Howard coined the micromort unit to quantify life-threatening danger.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.One micromort corresponds to a one-in-a-million chance of dying during a certain activity. Do you want to run a marathon? The risk is seven micromorts. Are you going under general anesthesia? That’s 10 micromorts. To arrive at these figures, you first need detailed statistics. How many people engaged in these activities and died in the process? And the results depend heavily on the group of people being studied (their age, gender, and so on), as well as the geographic location.Better Living through StatisticsSurprisingly, the history of statistics doesn’t go back very far. In the 17th century, British demographer John Graunt pioneered mortality statistics by analyzing records of deaths and baptisms. But it would take another 200 years for society to recognize the social benefits of these approaches.Today the utility of this mathematical subfield is undisputed. Insurance companies and banks use statistics to carry out risk assessments. Statistical surveys make it possible to investigate psychological and sociological phenomena. Physical research would be unthinkable without statistics.Thanks to Howard and the micromort, the risks in our everyday lives can also be estimated with the help of statistics. By examining the proportion of people who die while undertaking a particular activity, he was able to create a general mortality risk for those activities.But more recently, mathematician David Spiegelhalter noticed something missing in Howard’s analysis: the micromort unit merely indicates how likely it is that a very specific action will kill us. This may make sense for a one-off activity such as climbing a mountain. But for long-term habits, such as regularly eating fast food, the measure is of only limited use.For example, smoking a cigarette causes just 0.21 micromort and would therefore be significantly less risky than getting out of bed in the morning at the age of 45 (which results in six micromorts). Smoking, however, has long-lasting negative consequences for the body that getting up in the morning does not. The long-term risk is therefore not recorded.So Spiegelhalter introduced the “microlife” measure to take into account the long-term effects of different activities. This quantifies how much life you lose on average by carrying out an activity. Each microlife that is lost reduces your life expectancy by half an hour. Two hours of watching TV each day might cost one microlife, for instance.One of the most significant differences between micromorts and microlives is that one of the two types of units compounds over time, and the other does not. If I survive my morning bike ride to the Darmstadt train station, my micromort count for that ride drops back to zero. The next day I start the journey again with the same risk.It’s different with microlife data: if I smoke a cigarette and then a second one an hour later, the time I’ve lost adds up. And of course, the mere ticking of the clock also shortens my available years of life. Every day 48 microlives are lost.But unlike micromorts, I can regain microlives. For example, a 20-minute walk provides me with around two microlives—that is, an extra hour of life expectancy. And eating a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables could gain you four microlives daily.Reality CheckAll these facts and figures are entertaining to read about and can make for interesting conversation starters—“Hey, did you know that this beer shortens your life by about 15 minutes?”—at least with the right crowd. But how do you calculate the microlives you lose as a result of an action?First, you have to compare the life expectancy of different people. For example: How does the life expectancy of smokers and nonsmokers differ? By taking this difference and dividing it by the average number of cigarettes smoked, we can calculate the average amount of time that each cigarette robs us of.This result is clearly inexact. The difference in life expectancy will also depend on factors such as a person’s gender, place of residence and age. These data can still be captured, but when it comes to general lifestyle factors, things get complicated. For example, studies show that many smokers generally have an unhealthier lifestyle and exercise less.Such correlations cannot always be calculated and accounted for. When it comes to smoking, however, there have been long-term studies that followed many people, some of whom stopped smoking at some point in their life, over several decades.These data make it easier to isolate the effect that smoking has on a person’s life expectancy. Such research suggests that a single cigarette is likely to rob a person of slightly less than the originally calculated 15 minutes of life if they have the other lifestyle habits of a nonsmoker. So should we be consulting statistics at the start of every day to maximize our lifespan? Perhaps we should be studying these analyses to engage in activities with as few micromorts as possible and try to gain, rather than lose, microlives?Not exactly. Micromorts and microlives can help you better assess risks. But you shouldn’t attach too much importance to them. After all, our world is complex. You may gain back two microlives during a walk, but you could also get in an unlucky accident along the way and be hit by a car. Ultimately, micromorts and microlives are just too simple a tool to evaluate the full range of consequences associated with an action. Exercise can improve your state of mind, which has a positive effect not only on your quality of life but also on your lifespan.That said, it can still be a source of comfort to turn to statistics—particularly when we want to understand if our fear is rational or not. For my part, I will try to remind myself of how few micromorts are associated with flying. Maybe that will help.This article originally appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.

Latin America at the 2025 Venice Biennale: Exploring Territory, Memory, and Ancestral Knowledge to Build the PresentSave this picture!Andamio Vivo - Perú. Image © Gonzalo Vera Tudela De MontreuilThe 19th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale officially opened to the public on May 10, becoming a significant international platform for exploring the current state of global architecture and sparking conversations about the challenges the discipline faces today—both shared and specific to each territory. This year’s theme, "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," proposed by general curator and Italian architect Carlo Ratti, invites reflection on architecture’s interconnection with other fields—such as art, artificial intelligence, and technology—while also emphasizing the importance of territories, landscapes, and, above all, the people who collectively shape our built environment.In this context, the national participations of Latin American countries have enriched the international exhibition with contributions deeply rooted in their local cultures and identities. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay represented Central and South America in Venice. Across their proposals, several shared themes emerged—most notably, the idea that contemporary architecture must consciously reconnect with its territory and draw from its history in order to build more thoughtfully today. Along these lines, the installations explored the re-signification of local elements and ancestral knowledge, adapting them to contemporary challenges and contexts.Brazil and Mexico centered their exhibitions on an in-depth investigation of land recording and mapping, addressing the use of ancestral construction technologies in relation to agriculture and the natural landscape. Both explored how these traditional techniques can be adapted to contemporary contexts. Uruguay, recognizing that over half of its territory is composed of water, emphasized the importance of considering this resource as an integral part of the country’s history, culture, and development. Peru and Argentina, meanwhile, focused on the re-signification of unique local elements—the silobag, emblematic of the Argentine countryside, and totora, a plant traditionally used in various forms of construction in Peru. In both pavilions, these materials were prominently featured, evoking the cultural and symbolic significance they carry. Finally, Chile’s participation presented a reflective and thought-provoking working table that examined recent debates around artificial intelligence policies established in the country. Related Article Between Algorithms and Ancestral Knowledge: Expanding the Concept of Architectural Intelligence Siestario - Argentina Save this picture!Save this picture!Upon entering Siestario, the Argentine Pavilion located in the Arsenale of Venice, visitors are immersed in a space of soft light and evocative soundscapes. At the center, serving as the undisputed focal point, is a large pink inflatable bag that instinctively invites repose. This is a silobag—a storage element commonly used in the Argentine countryside for preserving grain, especially soy, and emblematic of the country’s export-driven economy. In this context, the silobag functions not only as a spatial gesture but also as a temporal one: an invitation to pause and reflect amid the pace of the Biennale.In this way, architects Marco Zampieron and Juan Manuel Pachué succeed in decontextualizing this characteristic element—deeply rooted in national identity—by re-signifying its function and placing it within a space of critique and questioning. The result is effective: visitors are drawn to the installation, climb onto it, rest, and surrender to the experience, surrounded by images and sounds that induce a dreamlike drowsiness.(re) invenção - BrazilSave this picture!Save this picture!Brazil’s exhibition, curated by Luciana Saboia, Eder Alencar, and Matheus Seco—members of Plano Coletivo—is divided into two rooms, presenting research on the knowledge drawn from the lands of the Amazon. The installation establishes a dialogue between ancestral wisdom and contemporary urban infrastructure through exhibition elements that also serve as the structural system of the display.In the first room, lined with biodegradable wooden panels, maps and documents are spread across the floor, evoking the direct relationship that Indigenous peoples of the Amazon have with their land. In the second, a curated selection of architectural and urban infrastructure projects illustrates how these traditional forms of knowledge—deeply connected to Brazilian territory—are transformed into collective knowledge, capable of adapting to contemporary projects while preserving this cultural heritage.This balance between local culture, territory, and contemporary challenges is expressed almost literally through a minimalist and precise installation, composed of vertical panels and a suspended table made of reforested wood, both connected by tensioned steel cables. The balance is achieved through stone counterweights and a central metal tube that distributes the forces, turning the table into a structural element that redefines the spatial experience of the room.Reflective Intelligences - ChileSave this picture!Save this picture!The Chilean Pavilion presents a powerful proposal: upon entering the room, a central table—the main exhibition element—reflects a series of videos, essays, and images on its water surface. These works focus on archival research exploring the country’s growing role in the development of artificial intelligence, data center buildings, and the impact this has on the territory and, above all, its inhabitants.Serena Dambrosio, Nicolás Díaz Bejarano, and Linda Schilling Cuellar, the architects behind the pavilion, conceive the table not only as a physical support but also as a reference to the political tool of the "roundtable" used by the Chilean government to introduce policies and regulations around AI. In this case, the use of the water’s reflection invites visitors to reflect on what this technological development truly entails, questioning the exclusion of communities and environmental factors in these decision-making spaces. In this way, the table within the pavilion becomes a fertile ground for fostering collective dialogue among all key stakeholders: architects, researchers, communities, and policymakers.Chinampa Veneta - MéxicoSave this picture!Save this picture!The experience of entering the Mexican Pavilion, located in the Arsenale at the Biennale, is completely immersive. Visitors are welcomed by a recreation of a chinampa—an ancient cultivation system that involves creating platforms of earth over water to form small agricultural islands—which immediately captures attention through its lush vegetation, the scent of damp soil, and the sounds of water. The rest of the room, where vegetables, flowers, and medicinal herbs planted in the central chinampa are also expected to grow, is arranged to mimic the canals of Xochimilco, drawing a parallel with Venice itself, famously built over water.With this installation, the curatorial team—comprising Estudio Ignacio Urquiza and Ana Paula de Alba, Estudio María Marín de Buen, ILWT, Locus, Lucio Usobiaga Hegewisch & Nathalia Muguet, and Pedro&Juana—proposes revisiting these traditional chinampa agricultural systems to reflect on their adaptation in the present as a sustainable response, thanks to their self-irrigation system, within the context of droughts and global climate crisis. It also stands as evidence of a collective system bridging the natural and the built environment, as well as sustained care over time.Living Scaffolding - PerúSave this picture!Save this picture!The Peruvian Pavilion, with Alex Hudtwalcker as chief curator and Sebastián Cillóniz, José Ignacio Beteta, and Gianfranco Morales as associate curators, is presented at the Biennale’s Arsenale with Living Scaffolding, a proposal centered around a monumental structure built from totora reed wood. This installation brings to Venice the ancestral knowledge of the Uros and Aymara peoples of Lake Titicaca, who for centuries have used totora to construct floating habitable islands, homes, boats, and other essential elements for life on the lake.Over time, the refinement of this ancient technique incorporated other essential components—such as ropes and logs—that contribute to the stability and buoyancy of the structures. All this knowledge is materialized in an installation that can be fully experienced: visitors enter and walk through the scaffolding, exploring its construction system from within.Living Scaffolding highlights the technical precision and enduring relevance of this tradition, which in the contemporary context takes on a new meaning connected to collectivity, material memory, and the possibility of reactivating ancestral techniques as a response to today’s challenges. 53,86% Uruguay Land of Water - Uruguay Save this picture!Save this picture!Curated by architects Ken Sei Fong and Katia Sei Fong, alongside visual artist Luis Sei Fong, the Uruguayan Pavilion explores the country’s relationship with its maritime territory, which accounts for just over half of its total surface area. Located in its own building within the Biennale’s Giardini, the pavilion features a poetic and musical installation: a wavy ceiling from which amethyst stones hang, dripping water that strikes metal containers on the floor. This sensory and sonic experience invites visitors to contemplate water as a thread that weaves together the country’s memory, identity, and development.The installation presents a critique of the global water management model, emphasizing that, as a finite and increasingly scarce resource, it is essential to establish policies and regulations for its preservation. In this context, architecture plays a key role: it can not only offer innovative solutions but also promote conscious planning around water in cities and territories, acting as a bridge between the way we inhabit and the way we collectively manage this vital resource.Save this picture!Latin America’s participation in the 2025 Venice Biennale reveals that architecture is not only a design discipline but also a powerful critical and cultural tool. Each pavilion, rooted in its specific territorial context and local cultural identity, enacts a form of resistance by exploring ancestral knowledge, natural resources, and contemporary technologies as collective ways of knowing—learning from the past to build better today. In a global context marked by environmental crises, inequalities, and technological transformations, these architectural and deeply reflective endeavors construct new and reimagined narratives, where the local is no longer intrinsic to a fixed context but rather knowledge that expands, connects, and adapts to shared new realities.Save this picture! Image gallerySee allShow less About this authorPaula PintosAuthor••• Cite: Pintos, Paula. "Latin America at the 2025 Venice Biennale: Exploring Territory, Memory, and Ancestral Knowledge to Build the Present" [Latinoamérica en la Bienal de Venecia 2025: territorio, memoria y saberes ancestrales para construir el presente] 23 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030213/latin-america-at-the-2025-venice-biennale-exploring-territory-memory-and-ancestral-knowledge-to-build-the-present&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream