Ecological Surprises From Fires Down Under
The recent Australian 2019-2020 bushfires were devastating for people and fauna. Long term, they may not hurt wildlife and ecosystems as much as expected.
Do We Actually See Shadows?
In a blackout, you do not hear or taste the darkness; you see it. It looks a certain way. On the philosophy of shadows.
Why Do We Fall for Scams?
People want to believe that the person they trust with their money, or their hearts, is telling the truth. The con artist relies on that.
Drinking Women, Scientific Art, and Torturing Trees
Well-researched stories from The London Review of Books, Atlas Obscura, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Food…in…Space!
A brief history of astronaut food, from nutrition cubes to space salads.
How an Incan Nobleman Contested Spanish History
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala left behind a one-of-a-kind object that undermines the crónicas de Indias.
How Social Upheaval Gave Rise to the Picaresque Novel
How did the arcadian shepherd and chivalric knight-errant, centuries-old fixtures of European literature, give way to this witty rascal, the pícaro?
Gossip Girls (and Boys)
Researchers found that male and female adolescents may respond differently to gossip or other forms of social aggression.
Reclaiming Rice in Taiwan
After World War II, the US ramped up international food aid, both as a Cold War strategy and as a way to distribute surplus products.
Race-baiting the Last Big City Socialist
When business interests tried to use red-baiting to take down a socialist mayor of Milwaukee in the Fifties, it didn't work, so they used race-baiting instead.