Nineteenth century typesetters

On Your Mark, Get Set… Print!

The Boston Typesetting Races of 1886 demonstrated the speed of women compositors, helping to lower the barriers to workplace equity for female “swifts.”
Etching of early Italian physicist Laura Bassi profile

Laura Bassi, Enlightenment Scientist

The Italian physicist and philosopher was the first woman to earn a doctorate in science and the first salaried female professor at a university.
Virgin of Guadalupe, 1779

Abstinence By Juramentos

Long before Dry January became a thing, Mexicans were using a similar program of temporary abstinence based on a pledge to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Edward John Eyre

When Intellectuals Split: The Eyre Case

Public intellectuals in Great Britain disagreed on what to do with Governor Eyre after his heavy-handed response to the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica.
headphones with a plug and decorative elements

Good Times With Bad Music

We've all got our tastes, but can anyone really define what makes music “good” or “bad”?
Ilex paraguariensis

Plant of the Month: Yerba Mate

The biological and cultural profile of mate has affected its global expansion, unlike other plants native to the Americas, such as cacao and maize.
Illustration of two house sparrows

Words for Birds

From the meaning of birdsong to the history of birdwatching, from the effects of climate change to the cunning of crows—our bird stories have it all.
illustration of a boat on a river that was part of the dunbar-hunter expedition in 1804-1805.

Thomas Jefferson’s Gourmand Explorers

Jefferson’s government organized several western expeditions. Some carried luxurious supplies of food, some enjoyed local hospitality, and some nearly starved to death.
A truck dumping biosolids in Geneva, Illinois

Waste Not, Want Not

Sewage is a vital part of a circular economy—and we have the tech to make good use of it. Why don’t we?
Leaf-cutter Ant (Atta cephalotes) carrying a piece of leaf which they will use to make their food

Ants, Thanks, and Lab-Grown Meat

Well-researched stories from The Guardian, Polygon, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.