Claire Cameron The Last Neanderthal

The Novelist’s Risk: Researching The Last Neanderthal

Best-selling Canadian novelist Claire Cameron on how she researched her new novel The Last Neanderthal, with a little help from JSTOR.
Avocado

The Illustrious History of the Avocado

Avocados had an important place in Mesoamerican peoples’ diet, mythology, and culture. It’s possible that they were eaten in Mexico 10,000 years ago.
Trump signature analysis

Sorry, Graphology Isn’t a Real Science

Despite Donald Trump's claim that he is a "handwriting analyst," it's not possible to read someone's mind through the curlicues of their writing.
Screenshot of the film "It's a Wonderful Life"

The FBI Goes to the Movies

In its hunt for communists in Hollywood, the FBI criticized the 1946 classic It's "A Wonderful Life" as subversive propaganda.
Yellowstone wolf

Wyoming’s War on Wolves

Gray wolves in Wyoming recently lost their protected status. What will become of a species burdened by myths about its "fierce and furious" nature?
Oxford spires

Old English Has a Serious Image Problem

Although studying the language known as “Anglo-Saxon” helped women advance in the academy, the subject is fraught with racist associations.
Heads quarters

The Statistics of Coin Tosses for Theater Geeks

At the beginning of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a coin toss lands as heads 92 times in a row, the odds of which are a mere 1 in 5 octillion.
Amazon Deforestation

A Resurgence of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon increased sharply in 2016. The government must take steps to protect the world’s largest rain forest.
Spam emails

Our Spam Emails, Ourselves

More money, more hair, less belly fat, better health: our spam emails expose our worries and weaknesses.