This video sheds light on 33 Thomas Street in Manhattan, a towering, windowless brutalist building initially constructed in the late 1960s as a highly secure telecommunications hub for AT&T, designed to withstand a nuclear blast and operate off-grid for weeks. The building, nicknamed "Project X" and later "Long Lines building," was equipped with advanced 4ESS switches to process millions of long-distance calls daily, making it indispensable to New York City's communication infrastructure, as evidenced by a 1991 power failure that disrupted air traffic control. However, whistleblowers like Mark Klein and Edward Snowden's leaked NSA files revealed the building, code-named "Titanpointe," to be a critical NSA mass surveillance site. It is believed to house a "sensitive compartmented information facility" (SCIF) that taps into communications and uses satellite dishes to intercept internet data, including video calls, all funneled to NSA headquarters and accessible via the XKEYSCORE search engine. Despite the revelations, AT&T has never publicly acknowledged its cooperation with the NSA regarding the activities within 33 Thomas Street, and other similar windowless buildings operated by AT&T across the US are suspected of serving similar surveillance purposes.

YouTube science channel Minute Earth produces videos that explain some of the planet's more interesting tidbits of science. In this recent upload, Minute Earth describes why some species of plants and animals thrive in our concrete jungle, while other die out.

Urban development can be tough on wildlife. But some plants and animals are adapting to our cities in surprising ways.

New York City's iconic skyline is undergoing a significant transformation, epitomized by the controversial 262 Fifth Avenue skyscraper. This new 262-meter-tall, pencil-thin tower is drawing criticism from New Yorkers for obstructing views of the beloved Empire State Building and for its design, which prioritizes luxury, whole-floor residences over addressing the city's severe housing crisis. With only 26 properties, averaging 3,200 sq ft each, the building is perceived as a "safety deposit box for the uber-wealthy" and a symbol of "zombie urbanism," where properties are owned but rarely occupied. This development highlights the tension between maximizing financial returns in real estate and the growing need for affordable housing, leading many to question if New York is losing its soul as it continues to expand without sightline protections.