Elixirs of Immortal Life Were a Deadly Obsession
Ironically enough.
What Does History Smell Like?
Scholars don't typically pay that much attention to smells, but odors have historically been quite significant.
Our Long Relationship with Leather
A recently-discovered skeleton wearing leather boots inspires a walk through our history of wearing animal hides.
Ten Poems about Travel
Poetry about all kinds of travel—from grand adventures to family vacations—by Elizabeth Bishop, Rita Dove, and more.
The World’s New Private Security Forces
The global private market for security has brought with it the need for hiring, measuring, and monitoring security workers in unprecedented ways.
Finding the Value of Housework
Can housework be anything other than drudgery? Maybe part of the problem is that we consistently devalue unpaid work.
How the Brownie Camera Made Everyone a Photographer
Eastman Kodak used folklore to sell a modern technology, and ended up creating new communities and forms of expressions along the way.
Why Champagne?
We use champagne to celebrate New Year's Eve and other major events. But how did the sparkling wine get such cultural cachet? (Hint: marketing helped.)
Saturn’s Rings, Anger, and Snowmen
Well-researched stories from Forward, Wired, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
The Metamorphosis of a 17th-Century Insect Artist
Maria Sibylla Merian's work in the natural sciences was overlooked for centuries. Now a rare butterfly has been named in her honor.