A Fierce Devotion to the “Empress of Hell”
Medieval dramatizations of the confrontation between the Virgin Mary and King Herod offered a symbolic resistance to tyranny.
Shucking the Past: Can Oysters Thrive Again?
Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.
Amy V. Margaris on the Role of the Archaeologist
Anthropological archaeologist Amy V. Margaris argues that to do our best science, we need a diverse group of practitioners—in the field and in the museum.
When You Know That Loan Won’t Be Repaid
Refusing to loan a friend money can have social repercussions. What strategies do would-be lenders use to make these interactions less fraught?
The Erie Canal at 200
Finished in October 1825, the Erie Canal connected increasingly specialized regions, altering the economic landscape of the northeast United States.
Documenting a Disappearing Architecture
The Heinz Gaube Lebanese Architectural Photographs Collection, supported by an innovative mapping project, details threatened buildings across Lebanon.
The Fifteenth Amendment: Annotated
The brevity of the Fifteenth Amendment of the US Constitution belies its impact on American voting rights.
A Whale of a Shark
The largest fish, Rhincodon typus, is obviously not a whale, but it’s also unusual for a shark.
“Space Tornadoes” Could Cause Geomagnetic Storms
But these phenomena, spun off ejections from the Sun, aren’t easy to study.
Topless King in Pedal Canoe!
By exposing his skin on a sunny day, King Edward VIII offered a reminder that a monarch is, after all, nothing but a person.