When Mining Destroys Historical Cemeteries
Mountain top removal mining brings with it total ecosystem destruction. It also erases history by destroying historic mountain cemeteries.
Better Living Through Nudity
In England in the 1920s and ‘30s, nudism was ideological and utopian. Then the Nazis coopted the concept for their eugenicist Nacktkultur movement.
Do We Have to Tell Them the House Is Haunted?
On the law and mythologies of haunting, from antiquity to today.
William Gannaway Brownlow, the Fighting Parson of Tennessee
The controversial politician William Gannaway Brownlow shepherded Tennessee's re-admission to the Union. It was the first state of the Confederacy to do so.
When Communes Don’t Fail
Communes have gotten a reputation for being flaky or cultish. But intentional communities have a long history, and many have been successful.
Why Climate Change Is a National Security Issue
Viewing climate change through a national security lens makes a certain amount of sense -- but it won't entirely solve the problem.
When Clairvoyants Searched for a Lost Expedition
When Captain Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition went awry, clairvoyants claimed to be able to contact the crew members. Why did people believe them?
Jill Lepore: How to Respond to the Crisis of Our Institutions
Lepore talks about presidential deceit, why women are often forgotten by history, and the “epistemological crisis” of our era.
The Great Seaweed Invasion
In the Caribbean, sargassum deposits have grown to unprecedented sizes, obscuring the sand and turning nearshore waters into seething sargassum soup.
Who Chooses Not to Vaccinate Their Children?
Vaccinations have always been political. But in this day and age, why do certain subsets of well-off parents choose not to vaccinate their children?