Bizarre customs of landholding—from demands for flowers to ritualized flatulence—reflect the philosophy that developed under the feudal system.

The Callery pear was meant to help prevent fire blight from destroying the commercial pear industry. Then it became invasive.

European fairy tales featured bold, independent female characters—until the Reformation forced shifts in cultural attitudes towards women.

Sharing economy firms like Lyft and Airbnb promised community, but the ideas they promoted as overturning the status quo are the status quo.

Why are Jane Austen books still so beloved? A linguist argues it has more to do with Austen's masterful use of language than with plot.

Well-researched stories from Slate, Aeon, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.

Everything scientists think they know about the interior of Mars is based on indirect observations. NASA's new InSight Lander aims to change that.

Before she was killed by Nazis, Charlotte Salomon created a unique, genre-bending artwork that may have also been a confession to a murder.

Today's parents may feel concerned about their kids' obsession with electronic games, but adults have always been suspicious of new kinds of playthings.

Victorian London became obsessed with Ward's cases, which protected plants from the city's toxic pollution -- and piqued peoples' imaginations.