How did steamships and cholera shape Mecca? And has it always functioned as the same refuge for all Muslims? Michael Low joins us on the afikra podcast to answer these questions and more about Mecca, the Hejaz and Hajj. Watch the full episode with the director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. | afikra

The RMS Carpathia, a Cunard... - Titanic Memorial Lighthouse

This 3D video model shows what remains of the steamship Portland, which sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1898 with 200 passengers and crew on board. Dubbed "New England's Titanic," the ferry once boasted cherrywood staterooms and a domed skylight but now is home to deep-sea anemones, sponges, and fish– as well as ghost fishing gear. #WHOI researchers are studying the wreck's ecological and archeological value. A new policy of alerting captains about the location of shipwrecks in the marine