Inventing Pad Thai
A government campaign transformed a Chinese-inspired noodle dish into a symbol of Thailand's national identity.
Why Mud Matters
The microbes in muddy sediments help regulate Earth’s climate and keep ecosystems functioning.
The Folk Stories Behind the Philippines’ Superheroes
Filipino komiks have long drawn on mythology to create larger-than-life champions for ordinary people.
Can We Recover a Worldview Lost to Colonialism?
Among the Ao Naga of northeast India, humans may have been just one kind of person in a world filled with spiritual beings.
Beware of the Meeting Minutes
What gets lost when spoken conversations become part of the historical record?
What Does an Earthquake Sound Like?
Seismologist Hugo Benioff spent decades turning seismic vibrations into signals he could study—and, eventually, hear.
Teaching Students to Follow an Idea
A five-step classroom exercise reframes research as an evolving scholarly conversation rather than a search for sources.
Why Italian Fascists Loved Samurai
Japan offered Italian Fascists a powerful example of how ancient traditions could serve modern nationalism.
Ancient Rome’s Complicated Border
What did Hadrian’s Wall actually do? Its history challenges the idea that walls simply separate one side from another.
The Women Who Sold Books Door to Door
Three nineteenth-century memoirs reveal the risks and rewards of life on the road as a traveling bookseller.