Close-up a lemur on a branch

Are Lemurs Going to the Dogs?

Neutering feral dogs in Madagascar means saving the native species.
urban bees

The Rise of the City Bee—How Urbanites Built the 21st-Century Apiculture

Urban apiculture is a booming trend. But many metropolitan beekeepers also believe that bees fare better in cities than they do in the countryside.
James Bond

The Marketable Misogyny of James Bond

The attitudes reflected in the James Bond franchise are wildly out of touch with social reality.
sediment piles

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.
Young Pope

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.
Dance hall illustration

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.”
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?
Kadish book

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.
Book of Curiosities

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.