The Revolutionary Past of Plastics
When plastics were first invented, they seemed to promise a utopian future.
How War Revolutionized Ireland’s Linen Industry
During the Napoleonic Wars, Irish women, who had traditionally only spun flax into thread, took over the traditionally male job of weaving linen as well.
Is Burnout Really a Disease?
Perhaps, instead of thinking of burnout as a disease to be dealt with at the individual level, we might collectively address it as a social problem.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fraught Attempt at Mass Production
The famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously loathed commercialism, and yet he (reluctantly) designed commercial homewares to be mass produced.
Artificial Photosynthesis
What is artificial photosynthesis, how does it work, and why would we need it?
William Blake, Radical Abolitionist
Blake’s works offer an alternative to the failures of the Enlightenment, which couldn’t muster a consistent argument for abolition.
The Weather Forecast That Saved D-Day
Operation Overlord launched the invasion of German-occupied Europe during WWII. But the right weather, tides, and moonlight were essential for it to work.
Navy Seals: Why the Military Uses Marine Mammals
A beluga whale was suspected to be a spy. It's not as outlandish as it may seem.
Is Plastic Pollution Depriving Us of Oxygen?
Plastic debris is killing the ocean’s “invisible forests,” which produce ten percent of the oxygen we breathe.
Hospital Bills, Intersectionality, and Civilizational Collapse
Well-researched stories from The Conversation, Aeon, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.