The “Scientific” Antifeminists of Victorian England
Nineteenth-century biologists employed some outrageous arguments in order to keep women confined to the home.
Some Plants Use Stickiness to Fend off Hungry Insects
For some sand-dwelling plants, stickiness is a defense tactic that keeps predators at bay.
Notes on Queer Conception and the Redefinition of Family
Feminist scholars refer to the “intensely communal, queer, and playful nature” of DIY LGBTQ conception, but Fertility, Inc. is another story.
The Disappearing Culture of Purple Martin Landlords
“You have to have almost a cruel streak in you to be a successful Martin landlord."
How Courageous Should Nurses Have to Be?
According to three scholars, it's asking a lot for health care professionals to be completely selfless.
Why Some Plants Are Parasites
Tap into the underground network of plants and fungi with mysterious myco-heterotrophes.
How Technology Got Its Modern Meaning
If we give technology credit for changing history, does that mean we give ourselves less?
The Trouble with “Native DNA”
Genetic testing to determine who is Native American is problematic, argues Native American studies scholar Kim TallBear.
Verbatim: Jonas Salk
Virologist Jonas Salk led the team that developed the breakthrough vaccine for polio. He was also a social critic.
These Good News Medical Stories Got Us through 2020
The science of COVID-19 vaccines, the 1957 flu vaccine that controlled that outbreak, eradicating polio in India with oral vaccines, and more.