Mating Mallard Ducks

Unveiling Nature’s Mysteries: Mutant Sea Stars, Junk Jellyfish, and Duck Sex

Confront nature's mysteries, scientists find mutant sea stars surviving in warming waters and that sexual competition forces ducks to grow longer penises.
Salt Lake City Temple Glass Holy of Holies

How Mormons Have Made Religion Out of Doubt

Because of its commitment to continuing revelation, Mormonism is replete with examples of individual doubt that have resulted in more, not less, religion.
Isolated shot of a cup of coffee on white background

How Coffee Went from a Mystical Sacrament to an Everyday Drink

The history of coffee starts in Ethiopia, where it grew wild. Locals used it as a sacrament in communal ceremonies and to keep up energy.
Janet Jackson in concert

The Lasting Power of Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”

Twenty years ago, Janet Jackson released her single "Got ‘Til it’s Gone." Today, we celebrate the layered artistry that led to the video's timeless appeal.
High School Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman’s Reality Fictions

Frederick Wiseman's 42nd documentary in 50 years of film-making has just been released. What's he making movies about, anyway?
Close-up of colourful tulip flowers

What Do Bitcoin and Tulips Have In Common?

What can we learn from the extraordinary period in Holland's history when a surge in demand for tulip bulbs pushed the price up to exorbitant rates?
Kazuo Ishiguro

An Artist of the Floating World: Two Interviews with Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro, an English novelist, won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature. His work deals with topics like national identity, memory, and trauma.
Duncan Hines cake

Duncan Hines, Cake Mix Maker Extraordinaire

Duncan Hines was not created by a marketing department. Born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1880, he became an amateur restaurant critic.
Edith Stein

Edith Stein, the Jewish Woman Who Became a Catholic Saint

In 1998, Pope John Paul II made one of his most contentious canonizations, elevating a Jewish woman named Edith Stein to the status of saint.
Harlem from above

The Healthcare Wars of 1920s Harlem

In the 1920s, Harlem’s population was growing quickly. A wide variety of “magico-religious workers” emerged to respond to the community’s needs.