The Marketable Misogyny of James Bond
The attitudes reflected in the James Bond franchise are wildly out of touch with social reality.
Sand? Mine!
Orca Quarry in British Columbia is one of a handful of mines feeding the nearly insatiable desire for sand and gravel in major West Coast cities.
Why The Young Pope Matters
Has anything like the events depicted in The Young Pope ever happened before? The answer, you may be surprised to learn, is yes.
Jane Addams’s Crusade Against Victorian “Dancing Girls”
Jane Addams, a leading Victorian-era reformer, believed dance halls were “one of the great pitfalls of the city.”
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?
Summoning 17th-Century Scholars: Researching The Weight of Ink
Author Rachel Kadish tells us about how she used JSTOR to research her fascinating, complex new novel, The Weight of Ink.
Ancient Maps Are Mirrors for the Ancient Psyche
The Book of Curiosities of the Sciences, and Marvels for the Eyes, an eleventh-century Arabic geography, is still a wonder.
A Natural History of the Wedding Dress
The history of the wedding dress is shorter than the history of weddings, and even shorter still than the history of marriage.
Can the Acorn Crop Predict Lyme Disease?
Will cutting fewer forests, where tick hosts and their predators live, help curb Lyme disease? Scientists debate.