Fifty Shades affective labor

Fifty Shades of Affective Labor for Capital

Fifty Shades of Grey sells an absurd fantasy version of a romantic relationship—as between man and woman, so between capitalism and female workers.
Queer aging

Queer Time: The Alternative to “Adulting”

What constitutes adulthood has never been self-evident or value-neutral. Queer lives follow their own temporal logic.
NOAA researcher prepares to release an ozone sonde

Do We Still Need to Worry About the Hole in the Ozone Layer?

The world tends to forget about the annual ozone hole that appears over Antarctica, though we're facing huge and complex environmental concerns.
supermarket illustration

Sex and the Supermarket

Supermarkets represented a major innovation in food distribution—a gendered innovation that encouraged women to find sexual pleasure in subordination.
boy playing with toy plane while waiting in airport

Did Aviation Anxiety End the Era of Kid-Friendly Airports?

Despite intensifying concerns over security, airports play a vital role in teaching children about the interconnected world in which we live.
Crane shot of rows of full clothes racks with various styles, colors, and materials

Fashion Forward: How Three Revolutionary Fabrics Are Greening the Industry

Kelp, yeast, and sequestered methane gas are on the forefront of the move to create environmentally friendly clothing
Topkapi Gate of Felicity

The Secret Sign Language of the Ottoman Court

Deaf servants were favored companions of the Ottoman sultan, and their facility in nonverbal communication made them indispensable to the court.
Take

Restoring the Prehistoric Horse

It’s the National Day of the Horse! Do You Know Where the Real Wild Horses Live?
Forensic evidence

How Forensic DNA Evidence Can Lead to Wrongful Convictions

Forensic DNA evidence has been a game-changer for law enforcement, but research shows it can contribute to miscarriages of justice.
A Spongey Lower Manhattan

How to Build a City That Doesn’t Flood? Turn it Into a Sponge City

Cities encourage potentially devastating floods by laying down asphalt and pavement. Could this be avoided by making them "spongier" and more absorbent?