The Environmental Costs of War
Using aluminum as a case study, a geographer shows how wartime "commodity chains" can devastate the Earth.
How the Soviet Union Turned a Plague into Propaganda
The fight against locust swarms allowed the Soviet Union to consolidate power over neighboring regions.
The New Siberians
As heat waves induced by climate change roil the Arctic Circle, Siberians are articulating a distinct identity.
The Arsenic Cake of Madame Lafarge
The first trial to use forensic toxicology electrified France in 1840 with the tale of a bad marriage and poisoned innards.
The Mormon Fans of Europe’s 1848 Revolutions
As the crowned heads of Europe shuddered at the unrest in the streets, members of the Latter-Day Saints movement cheered.
The Victorian Tea “Infomercial”
By the 19th century, tea was the British national beverage, and "tea histories" were a form of imperial propaganda.
The South African Experience with Changing the Police from Within
In states transitioning from authoritarianism to democracy, resistance to police abuses can make or break the larger democratic project, explains one social scientist.
India’s Coronavirus Migration Crisis
Widespread market failure and unemployment triggered by the coronavirus pandemic have set off a crisis of domestic migration in India.
The Weed Scientist Who Brought Down the Wrath of Stalin
Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov's hypothesis on the evolution of rye is now accepted. But in the 1930s, his research got him arrested.
Everyone in Pompeii Got Takeout, Too
Archaeologists have found that snack bars called tabernae fed much of the city in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.