Located along the Elbe River in Hamburg’s affluent Teufelsbrück (“Devil’s Bridge”) district, a sandstone sculpture depicts a horned creature lost in thought, holding a small hare by one ear. The work, called Der Teufel und der Hase (“The Devil and the Hare”), captures a famous local legend. Folklore holds that a young carpenter, struggling to build a bridge over marshy ground in the neighborhood, made a pact with the devil, trading the soul of the first creature to cross the finished bridge for supernatural help. After the structure was completed and blessed, a hare crossed it first, thwarting the fiend’s expectation of a human soul. According to the legend, he then vanished into the surrounding marshland, giving the area its name. The sculpture’s real-world history has been almost as turbulent as its legend. Since the first figure was erected in the late 1920s, the devil has been stolen, damaged, or removed repeatedly. Wooden versions disappeared outright, while later iterations vanished overnight, only to resurface years later in private apartments, sometimes stripped of dignity and put to mundane use. By the 1980s, the tally had reached six stolen or destroyed devils, turning a folkloric monument into a recurring civic problem. Since 2000, the riverbank has been occupied by a more resolute incarnation, carved from Elbe sandstone by local stonemason Bert Ulrich Beppler. Weighing close to a metric ton (about 2,200 pounds), the sculpture was meant to end the cycle of theft. Although removal is no longer feasible, some vandalism has continued. Even so, it remains at Teufelsbrück, making it the longest-surviving version of a figure Hamburg has consistently failed to hold on to.

This could be a breakthrough. The post Scientists Spot Huge Cave on Venus appeared first on Futurism.

In a video shared with Palantir employees, Alex Karp did not explain how ICE is utilizing the company's products. Instead, workers were told they can sign NDAs if they want detailed information.

"You don't work less. You just work the same amount or even more." The post Researchers Studied What Happens When Workplaces Seriously Embrace AI, and the Results May Make You Nervous appeared first on Futurism.

From beyond the grave. The post Meta Patented AI That Takes Over Your Account When You Die, Keeps Posting Forever appeared first on Futurism.

Is it really the best time to arm them with spears and swords? The post Chinese Robots Can Now Run Up Walls appeared first on Futurism.

New Exhibition Chronicles the Evolution of Chicano Photography Across Six Decades Since its opening in 2022, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum has been a beacon for Mexican-American art. On top of housing one of its largest permanent collections, it has spotlighted different facets of Chicano art through temporary exhibitions. Its latest exhibition, Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic […] READ: New Exhibition Chronicles the Evolution of Chicano Photography Across Six Decades

We might look at the dull weather, and perhaps the seemingly dull suburban environment that many of us might live in and think "no photography today." But to do so is to miss a potential gold mine of photographic possibilities. Today we are going to look at capturing the magic in the mundane. The post Capturing Magic In The Mundane appeared first on Light Stalking.

"As the workers who provide the foundational labor in building this technology, we are horrified." The post Google Has a Major Problem With ICE appeared first on Futurism.

Stunning Photo Captures Vibrant Plumage of Bird Mid-Flight Over the Himalayas In 2011, Dr. Sudhir Hasamnis was a self-described workaholic. With almost 12-hour work days, he had devoted 39 years of his life to one of the most respected industrial houses in India, where he held a management position. This lifestyle would sadly take a toll on his health, resulting in a heart attack. He luckily […] READ: Stunning Photo Captures Vibrant Plumage of Bird Mid-Flight Over the Himalayas

Andy Warhol-Inspired Campbell’s Soup Can LEGO Build Opens up To Reveal the Artist’s Studio Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans is one of the most recognizable works of Pop Art. Created between 1961 and 1962, the series turns a familiar supermarket product into art, reflecting a world shaped by mass production, advertising, and consumer culture. Inspired by the iconic image, LEGO designer HonorableImmenseWorriz has created a sculptural LEGO soup can […] READ: Andy Warhol-Inspired Campbell’s Soup Can LEGO Build Opens up To Reveal the Artist’s Studio

It's not nearly as easy as one might think. The post If Scientists Ever Find Strong Evidence of Alien Life, Communicating It Will Pose Serious Issues appeared first on Futurism.

We know more or less everything we could possibly know about ancient Egyptian civilization. That owes in large part to the advanced state of record-keeping it achieved, and how many of its writings have survived, up to and including — as previously featured here on Open Culture — a homework assignment and a list of […]

Lavish Scenes Are Rendered in Stained Glass at This Monumental Sanctuary [Interview] When Judith Schaechter first encountered stained glass during her studies at RISD, she instantly knew that the material would dramatically alter the trajectory of her career. It turns out that her intuition was correct. For years, the Philadelphia-based artist has produced intricate glass compositions, complete with vibrant color palettes and enchanting patterns. What defines her […] READ: Lavish Scenes Are Rendered in Stained Glass at This Monumental Sanctuary [Interview]

Beloved African Elephant Craig the “Super Tusker” Dies at 54 Years Old   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by NJ Wight (@njwight) One of the most beloved African elephants has sadly passed away at the age of 54 due to natural causes. The “super tusker” known as Craig lived and died at Amboseli National Park in Kenya. It is with much grief that […] READ: Beloved African Elephant Craig the “Super Tusker” Dies at 54 Years Old

Jakob Eirich is a German freelance concept artist, art director and illustrator based in Soest, with 6K+ Instagram followers and a portfolio showcasing stylised fantasy characters, creatures and illustrations that blend Japanese anime influences with Western realism. A Pratt Institute graduate whose work has been featured in ImagineFX, Spectrum 27 and Creative Bloq’s “2D art […]

ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.

Axel Sauerwald is a German freelance concept artist and illustrator based in Soest, Germany, who began his career at Atomhawk Design (Newcastle) in 2018 before going independent in 2020. He has collaborated with major studios like Blizzard/Activision (Mortal Kombat 11), Wizards of the Coast, Aaron Sims Creative and others, creating character designs, illustrations and marketing […]

Evgeny Romanov ia a freelance concept artist and former 3D hard‑surface artist who specializes in atmospheric environment and character design for games and entertainment, with experience at Terraform Studios, RESCALE Games, Lilith Games and others. His portfolio on ArtStation shows a focus on moody, story‑driven worlds—foggy industrial sites, sci‑fi structures, ruined forests—and he also creates […]

Located three Roman miles outside Rome's ancient walls, the Mausoleum of Constantina (Santa Costanza) might just be one of the Eternal City's most unique yet underrated churches. Originally built around 350 by the Emperor Constantine to house the remains of his daughter Constantina, it was part of the much larger Basilica of Saint Agnes, only a small portion of which remains today. Santa Constanza later became a church in its own right, making it one of the few remaining ancient churches of Rome not to be in the structure of a basilica. Instead, it is in a circular plan common among ancient Roman mausoleums. What truly makes Santa Costanza stand out are its mosaics surviving from the 4th century in the apses and ambulatory vault. Some of these mosaics have secular or even pagan themes, giving a glimpse into a time in which Christianity coexisted openly with older religions. The church also once housed two large porphyry sarcophagi, believed to belong to Constantina and her sister Helena. They have since been moved to the Vatican, however a replica of one is still on display here.

At first glance, the grassy square on a suburban Warsaw backstreet looks like an ordinary park. But closer examination reveals statues, an obelisk, and a row of symbolic graves. The square, tucked away in Warsaw's western district of Wawer, was the site of the first mass execution of Poles during WWII. 107 men and boys, between the ages of 16-70, were gathered here on the night of December 27, 1939 and executed by Nazis before being buried in ditches. The event came to be known as the Wawer Massacre. Although the bodies of the victims were later exhumed and moved to a variety of local cemeteries, the families of the victims established the site as a memorial to the victims. Today, a symbolic cemetery marks the site of the atrocity. The rows of graves are flanked by two large sculptures representing the figures of Polonia and a fighter against fascism.  The Wawer Massacre caused outrage across Poland. Resistance groups began to write the words "pomścimy Wawer" or "we shall avenge Wawer" on walls across the city. This statement was later shortened to the letters PW and these letters finally became the famous Kotwica (anchor) symbol used as the emblem of the Home Army, the biggest resistance army of WWII. 

Bride and Groom Exchanging Wedding Vows Are Surprised by a Double Rainbow A private marital vow exchanged on a remote mountain ridge turned into an extra unforgettable when a double rainbow appeared overhead. Photographers Marcin and Dorota of B.D.F.K Photography captured every second of the magical moment. Their photos turn a quiet sunrise ceremony into an extraordinary story that celebrates love and the unpredictability of nature. The […] READ: Bride and Groom Exchanging Wedding Vows Are Surprised by a Double Rainbow