What Is Jamu? Indonesia's 1,300-Year-Old Herbal Medicine That the West Just Discovered

What Is Jamu? Indonesia’s 1,300-Year-Old Herbal Medicine That the West Just Discovered

Hidden Treasures /

In cities and villages across Java, a woman walks the streets each morning carrying a basket loaded with small bottles of dark liquid — yellowish, brown, deep green, occasionally an unsettling black. People come out of their homes and offices to meet her, exchange a few coins, drink a small glass on the spot — […]

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What Is Tenun Ikat? Why Indonesia's Hand-Woven Fabric Can Cost More Than Designer Clothes

What Is Tenun Ikat? Why Indonesia’s Hand-Woven Fabric Can Cost More Than Designer Clothes

Hidden Treasures /

In a gallery in SoHo, New York, a textile hangs on a white wall under museum lighting. It is approximately two meters long, rust-red and indigo and cream, with a pattern of horses, skulls, and geometric spirals woven into it with a precision that makes your eyes work to follow the logic of the design.

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The Pink Beach of Komodo: Why Is the Sand Actually Red — And Is It Safe to Visit?

The Pink Beach of Komodo: Why Is the Sand Actually Red — And Is It Safe to Visit?

Bizarre Nature /

There are approximately seven pink-sand beaches in the entire world. Most are remote, difficult to reach, and quietly extraordinary. One of them sits inside a national park patrolled by the largest living reptile on earth. That one is worth talking about. Pantai Merah — “Red Beach” in Indonesian, though the world knows it as Pink

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The Bajau Sea Nomads: Indonesia's People Who Evolved for the Ocean

The Bajau Sea Nomads: Indonesia’s People Who Evolved for the Ocean

Bizarre Nature /

In 2018, a study published in the journal Cell stopped biologists in their tracks. A specific group of people in Indonesia had evolved — over generations, through natural selection — spleens significantly larger than those of any other human population on earth. The Bajau people’s spleens were on average 50% larger than those of their

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Why Does Indonesia Have a Lake That Turns Blood Red? The Science and Legend of Lake Kelimutu

Why Does Indonesia Have a Lake That Turns Blood Red? The Science and Legend of Lake Kelimutu

Bizarre Nature /

On the summit of an active volcano on the island of Flores, there are three lakes sitting in three separate craters — so close to each other that you can see all of them from a single viewpoint. They should look identical. Same altitude, same geology, same rainfall, same volcanic activity beneath them. They don’t

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