Happy Birthday to David Attenborough. The legendary naturalist turns 100 today. Few people have done more to educate the world about wildlife and conservation.

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In 2001, Jake Shivery opened Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland's St. John's neighborhood. At the time, there were 11 other camera stores across the city, but Shivery decided to open a shop anyway. On December 1, he opened the doors -- and no one came.

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A new documentary follows photographers and scientists deep into Florida’s most remote swamps in search of answers to one of botany’s most enduring questions: what pollinates the elusive ghost orchid. Long considered one of North America’s rarest and least understood flowers, the species has resisted decades of study, with its reproduction largely undocumented in the wild.

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velumen posted a photo:

World Press Photo announced the winners of its annual competition earlier this month, highlighting powerful and poignant photojournalism from around the world. Today, World Press Photo unveiled its Photo of the Year for 2026.

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Asa Ellerup said Rex Heuermann confessed to killing multiple women in their basement while she was away

The convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer who recently pleaded guilty to seven murders confessed to his ex-wife that he had killed multiple women in the basement of their home while she was away, a new documentary reveals.

In a teaser clip released on Tuesday to promote Peacock’s The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Asa Ellerup said her ex-husband, Rex Heuermann, told her he killed eight women without hesitation. That was the case, though he was only formally charged with – and pleaded guilty to – seven.

When we think of “invasive species,” perhaps zebra mussels or kudzu vine spring to mind. Both have flourished in their non-native environments and continue to threaten other native organisms. Invasive species aren’t inherently bad—they’re just trying to survive—but by definition, they’re likely to disrupt local ecosystems and even cause billions of dollars worth of damage each year. So, what does one California city have to say about its burgeoning population of… peacocks?

Introduced by a businessman and land baron named Elias Lucky Baldwin more than a century ago, the avian population has long called the area home. Over the years, though, as the originally open area filled with homes and commercial strips, efforts by local residents end up at odds, as some would like to protect the birds and others would prefer to see them sent away altogether. In a short film titled “Our Neighbors, the Peacocks,” filmmaker Callie Barlow traces the unusual history of peafowl in Los Angeles County through the eyes of some of its current residents.

Arcadia, California, sits in the San Gabriel Valley about 45 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. Dozens of peacocks, which are carefully watched over by some and detested by others, meander through residents’ yards, traipse around on rooftops, peck at cars, call from trees, and of course, display their beautiful feathers—especially during mating season.

In her short documentary, Barlow invites locals to share their love—or loathing—for the vibrant birds as she highlights how Arcadia’s history of protecting the birds has perhaps led to something of an overpopulation problem. Nearby neighborhoods participate in relocation programs, while Arcadia’s birds are protected, and opinions about how to deal with growing numbers land all along the spectrum.

“‘Our Neighbors, the Peacocks’ resists the urge to resolve the tension it so clearly lays out,” says Jason Sondhi, who selected the film for Short of the Week. “Instead, it leans into a modest but resonant idea articulated by its director that living alongside these animals might require ‘putting aside your own discomforts to find a deeper meaning in nature.'”

See the film on YouTube.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article ‘Our Neighbors, the Peacocks’ Paints a Portrait of an Unusual Convergence of Populations appeared first on Colossal.