Sociophysics and Econophysics, the Future of Social Science?
Can empirical data about human behavior make the “soft” sciences more like the “hard” ones? New interdisciplinary fields are voting yes.
Why Europe’s Oldest Intact Book Was Found in a Saint’s Coffin
The St. Cuthbert Gospel is the earliest surviving intact European book. Some time around 698, it was slipped into the coffin of a saint.
Will National Parks Disappear Due to Climate Change?
Temperatures and droughts have spiked at much higher rates in parks than elsewhere.
The Militant Miners Who Exposed the Horrors of Black Lung
This grassroots movement brought occupational health to American labor, paving the way for the creation of OSHA.
Trauma, Disaster, and Partying Octopuses
Well-researched stories from Public Books, NPR, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Puritan True Crime
Cotton Mather and other 17th-century American writers created a genre all their own: Puritan gallows literature, which both terrified and edified.
When Do We Have Empathy For People Living with Mental Illness?
Do we feel more empathy for those living with mental disorders when there's a biological explanation versus a psychosocial one for their condition?
Leonard Bernstein, Teacher
Leonard Bernstein was a famous composer, conductor, and pianist. But by some accounts, his favorite accomplishment was teaching children about music.
Charles Dickens and Fame vs. Celebrity
Many of our current celebrities are famous for being famous. Charles Dickens, the first self-made global media star, would've had a lot to say about this.
The Magazine That Put Children in Their Place
Children's literature hasn't always been about whimsy. This early magazine sought to retrench the elite in the publishing and education industries.