What We Saw Under the Microscope’s Lens
The lens, a tool technology that helps make the invisible world visible, brought a revolutionary perspective to our descriptions of nature.
What Beauty Product Trends Really Mean
American beauty products were once widely exported abroad and seen as representations of freedom and modernity.
Gay Culture: Ancient Wonder or Modern Creation?
Even at more open-minded times, gays and gay culture is always seen as a frivolous—a decorative, added bonus of civilization.
An Object History of the Persian Carpet
The famous Persian carpet, woven by female artisans in southwestern Iran, may be going extinct. Its story can be told in spindles and whorls.
Game of Thrones and the Rebirth of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is seeing a resurgence in tourism, due, ironically enough, to a TV show about political violence between kingdoms: Game of Thrones.
The Sticky History of Adhesives
Our Pleistocene ancestors in southern Africa made and used glue-like adhesives as early as the Middle Stone Age.
318 Words for Snow: How to Preserve the Indigenous Languages of the Arctic
How scientists, linguists, and activists are working together to preserve indigenous languages in the Arctic—as well as the region's biodiversity.
Inside the Alchemist’s Workshop
What tools would an alchemist use in the quest to transmute other elements into gold?
A Vintage Op-Ed from Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders' February 2003: "On My Mind: The Patriot Act's Threat to Libraries" published in American Libraries.
The Psychology of Copycat Crime
A recent wave of subway slashings in New York City is an opportunity to examine the criminology and sociology behind copycat crime.