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.
Does Psychology have a Liberal Bias?
Conventional wisdom holds that conservatives are ill-suited to or uninterested in a career in personality and social psychology. Is this just liberal bias?
Autism Education, “Silent Sam,” and Regulating TV
New books and scholarship from UNC Press, The University of Texas Press, and Oxford University Press.
Brazil’s Museu Nacional Was More Than Just a Museum
Brazil's oldest natural history museum has burned down. The institution played a crucial part in creating Brazil's identity as a country.
A Progressive College’s Complicated Relationship with Race
Oberlin College was founded by religious idealists committed to abolitionism and integration. Then public attitudes began to shift.
Do Dating Apps Cheapen Love?
Dating apps and services have been accused of cheapening the dominant Western conception of love. One scholar begs to differ.
When Science and Religion Were Connected
During the Second Great Awakening of 1830, science and religion were seen as “two aspects of the same universal truth.”
Some Books Can Kill
Poisonous green pigments laced with arsenic were once a common ingredient in book bindings, paints, wallpapers, and fabrics. Yikes.
The Nostalgic Pleasure of Preserves
Home canning was once a necessity, but even then the process was often defined by sensory pleasures and a deep sense of satisfaction.