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Can We Build a Better Facebook?

Is it time to turn our back on Facebook? And if so, what social network could possibly replace it?
Victorian fern gatherers

When Ferns Were All The Rage

Despite the jurassic-sounding name, pteridomania (from the Greek for fern, plant and mania) was responsible for the 19th century fern leaf collector's job.
Indian Chicken Shop

Is Human Mistreatment of Animals Killing Our Planet?

Most people treat animals as tools for improving human lives. But recent reports reveal (mis)treatment of animals is harming the planet as a whole.
Robert Goddard at chalkboard

Robert H. Goddard, the Forgotten Father of Rocketry

Robert H. Goddard is acknowledged by many as the "father" of rocketry, but it's a strange paternity since he had so little influence on his contemporaries.
Electric eel

5 Shocking Facts about Electric Eels

First things first: eels are fish.
Woman in multicolored dress.

Microbes Might Paint Your Next Party Dress

The official “fashion month,” September has concluded its parade of gorgeous outfits. These contain harmful dyes, though. Can microbes make safer colors?
French bulldog puppy sleeping on the carpet

Why Do We Sleep?

A growing consensus among those who hold this view is that sleep is needed for maintaining a healthy nervous system, not necessarily a brain.
Mating Mallard Ducks

Unveiling Nature’s Mysteries: Mutant Sea Stars, Junk Jellyfish, and Duck Sex

Confront nature's mysteries, scientists find mutant sea stars surviving in warming waters and that sexual competition forces ducks to grow longer penises.
Harlem from above

The Healthcare Wars of 1920s Harlem

In the 1920s, Harlem’s population was growing quickly. A wide variety of “magico-religious workers” emerged to respond to the community’s needs.
Star Trek: Discovery

What Star Trek: Discovery Can Tell Us About Tech and Social Progress

What makes Star Trek essential for any contemporary tech user is its role in helping us understand our relationship to technology.