The Atlas Obscura Podcast

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Spruce Pine, Global Chokepoints, and the Future of Manufacturing

The small mountain town of Spruce Pine provides nearly all of the ultra-pure quartz used to make the world’s semiconductors. When Hurricane Helene nearly wiped out the mines, it provided a stark wake-up call. Journalist Ed Conway joins Dylan to discuss what we can learn from this near-miss.

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  Skinny Houses

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  A Visit to the Reptile Super Show with Jacob Wysocki

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  The Places We Loved and Lost

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  The Stanley Hotel (Classic)

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  Phone Booth on a Roof (Classic)

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  The Most (and Least) Accessible Travel Destinations with Cory Lee

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  Screeching Like Seagulls

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  Spacing Out in South Korea

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  It's Spooky Season! We want to hear your stories

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  Mini Golfing in Myrtle Beach (Classic)

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  Studying the World’s Largest Parrot Colony with Juan Masello

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  The Diefenbunker

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  The Goose Who Wore Nikes

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  An Update on California’s Jurupa Oak

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  Carhenge (Classic)