Why Were Americans Obsessed With Ghosts in the 1940s?
In 1940s America, two folklorists undertook the task of collecting and studying the "modern" ghost stories of their time.
Are We Spoiling Our Kids with Too Much Praise?
Is the “gold medal for all” approach fueling a generation of narcissists?
What the Girl Scouts’ Founder Wanted Girls to Know
Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world celebrate World Thinking Day, a holiday aimed at helping global scouts connect and reflect on their past.
Meet Alan Emtage, the Black Technologist Who Invented ARCHIE, the First Internet Search Engine
Internet search has had a profound impact on our own internal makeup—on how we learn, and how we think.
The Nazis’ Nightmarish Plan to Starve the Soviet Union
Before the infamous Wannsee conference, Nazis had another meeting during which they planned the mass starvation of millions of Eastern Europeans.
The World’s Cutest Mammal on the Brink
The Ili Piku, aka "Magic Rabbit," of China is endangered. But Pika populations are declining globally, not just in China.
Suggested Readings: Wealth, Evil, and Our Impermanent Personalities
Our pick of well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. From the editors of JSTOR Daily.
Unpacking the Racially-Charged Term “Superpredators”
In the ‘90s, racialized terms like “wilding” and “superpredators” conjured moral panic, which justified the Crime Bill and other similar propositions.
The Secret Ingredient For Better Self-Care
One form of preventative medicine that is important, and which health policy barely considers: social connections between people.
Melville’s Confidence Man Today
Does Herman Melville's 1857 novel The Confidence-Man have anything to tell us about our present day? Philip Roth thinks so.