A portrait of Merze Tate from a scrapbook of photographs, letters and newspaper clippings

The Trailblazing Merze Tate

A celebrated historian of race and imperialism, Tate was an intrepid traveler who avidly shared her passion and meticulously documented her journeys.
President Nicolas Maduro on August 2, 2024 at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela.

Democratic Backsliding

Political scientist Javier Corrales uses Venezuela as a case-study of democratic backsliding that’s been initiated by the winner of an election, not the loser.

Being Trans in India

Trans women are organizing to fight discrimination and oppression. Trans men face different problems because they’re often not recognized at all.
Aerial view of Malabo´s harbour, Malabo´s Island, Equatorial Guinea

Grappling with Equatorial Guinea

A brief history of Africa’s most brutal dictator and what his legacy means for Equatorial Guinea today.
Title page from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, 1899

The Legends of Charles G. Leland’s Aradia

Leland’s interest in magic and folklore led him to northern Italy in search of remnants of “the old religion” of witchcraft.
Eco friendly cleaning products

Toxic? But It Has a Leaf on the Label!

Is it possible to produce common household products that are sustainable and safe?
Harmattan wind in Senegal

West Africa’s Hazardous Winds

Harmattan carries more than dust—it also spreads disease.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi

The Fungi in the Carbon Jigsaw

Out of sight, below the soil’s surface, fungi play a vital role in the existence and health of our forests, woodlands, jungles, and prairies.
Attendees of the joint meeting of the ASWPL and African American members of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation at Tuskegee Institute, 1938

How White Women Organized Against Lynching

In the 1930s, a coalition southern white women fought against lynching, disproving the idea that extrajudicial killings were intended to protect them.
Gyps fulvus in flight

Fossil Feathers, Robotic Fruit Flies, and Income Taxes

Well-researched stories from ProPublica, Ars Technica, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.