An illustration by Stephen Gammell from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

The Folklorist behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

What was that book's deal, anyway?
A tree in a native forest planted by Afforestt

The Miyawaki Method: A Better Way to Build Forests?

India’s forest production company is following the tenets of the master Japanese botanist, restoring biodiversity in resource-depleted communities.
Mount Saint Helens, United States

Could a Trillion Trees Really Save the Planet?

Scientists think that planting trees could reverse climate change, but planting trees isn't as simple as it sounds.
A pod of dolphins

How Eco-Conscious is Your Eco-Tour?

Wildlife sighting business is booming. Here’s how to choose the tour operators that care about the animals.
Paris catacombs

How the Paris Catacombs Solved a Cemetery Crisis

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris—the Catacombs—was started as a solution to the intrusion of death upon daily life.
Astronaut Karen Nyberg looks at Earth through a cupola on the ISS.

Space, Seaweed, and Self-Awareness

Well-researched stories from Quanta, the New Yorker, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Eleanor Club, Chicago

Co-Living, the Hot New Trend of 1898

Chicago's "Eleanor Clubs" were designed to give young, working women affordable and congenial places to live.
A submarine for the US government, 1806.

The Submerged History of the Submarine

Submarines played a major role in Word War I. But the first submersible was actually used, though unsuccessfully, in the Revolutionary War.
A Wes Wilson band poster, 1967

When Posters Went Psychedelic

Posters were originally a method of advertising and promotion, but in the 1960s, a new crop of psychedelic signs became emblematic of the counterculture.
A profile illustration of a child's head filled with science and education icons

Big Brains Are Hard to Grow

Human brains take a long time, and a lot of energy, to grow to their mature state. This may well be an evolutionary tradeoff for having such big brains.