Illustration of Columbus on his knee, planing a flag in the New World with his men and ships looking on

What If the World Were Flat and Columbus Had Fallen Off the Edge of the Earth?

What if Columbus had never made it to America? 
Stuffed Passenger Pigeon atop a wooden perch

Passengers Long Gone

Martha, last of the passenger pigeons. 
Journal of Biblical Literature on a tablet screen in the middle of a bookshelf of traditional reference books.

The Journal of Biblical Literature

The Journal of Biblical Literature, published by the Society of Biblical Literature, has provided critical analyses on testament since 1890.
Mohawk Mesolite, a crystalized mineral spray.

2014 is the International Year of Crystallography

UNESCO has declared 2014 to be the International Year of Crystallography.
A close-up of a cell fossil

The Mystery of Megasphaera

When did animals first come into being? It might have been millions of years earlier than we thought.
Fossilized bone of Psittacosaurus liujiatunensis

Recession Lessons from an Ancient Fossil Bed

In a 120-million-year-old rock in Northeast China, paleontologists made a remarkable find.
Older and worn illustration of Mesilla, New Mexico

Visualizing History

Nineteenth-century visual images, then, had power to move people to action, to convert ideas into policy.
Billy Strayhorn - OutBeat

OutBeat: America’s First LGBT Jazz Festival

On September 18-21, OutBeat, billed as "America's First Queer Jazz Festival", took place in Philadelphia.
Illustration from 1411 depicting Moses standing between two individuals laying down and covered with boils

Infection Control 600 Years Before the CDC

Modern health authorities combating the Ebola virus in West Africa might look to medieval infection control for inspiration.
Marijuana plant

Is Marijuana Good for Public Health?

What if the rise in marijuana smoking prompted by legalization brings more than just tolerable negative side effects? What if it is actually good for public health?