Fashion’s Flaws
Environmental historian Adam Rome considers the destructive history of fashion and style.
This One Number on a Form Can Reduce Gender Inequality
Reducing the gap between quantitative evaluation scores for male and female instructors may be as simple as changing a single number.
Hocktide: A Medieval Fest of Flirtation and Finances
The springtime holiday of Hocktide not only allowed villagers to cross social boundaries in the name of fun, it helped them raise funds for nonsecular needs.
Far Out: Why Don’t We Believe in UFOs?
Is it scientific impossibility or simply human ego that stops us from entertaining the idea of extraterrestrial visitation?
The Popularity and Politics of Pedestrianism
The sport of competitive walking touched on social concerns such as debt and poverty, fitness and fame, but it also found support in the temperance movement.
Caitlin D. Wylie on the Hidden Labor of STEM Research
An interview with Caitlin D. Wylie, a social scientist who analyzes “behind-the-science work” to understand how knowledge is produced and who produces it.
Reinventing Vacation in Japan
In the late nineteenth century, Japan adopted Western-style vacation, but not everyone was on board with the new leisure practices.
The Science of Sourdough: How Citizens Are Helping Shape the Future of Fermented Foods
Citizen scientists are drawing on personal experience to help researchers create new plant-based fermented foods and maximize their health benefits.
Your Best Friend’s Mom
Parents, teachers, and family income affect educational and life outcomes for teenagers, but so does their best friend’s mother.
The Therapeutic Side of Tibetan Buddhism
Along with teachings on liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition contains guidance on removing impediments to compassion.