Mariel Refugees

How Gay Marielitos Changed Immigration

In 1980, the policy of denying entry into the US based on homosexuality ran smack into anticommunism.
An autumn leaf on a branch

Will We Lose Fall Foliage to Climate Change?

The brilliant hues of autumn are created by a variety of factors that shift year by year. A warming planet is already one of them.
Six Children Killed in Regensburg, from Bavaria Sancta: The Life and Martyrdom of Holy Men and Women (Vol. III)

On the Origins of the Blood Libel

The ultimate conspiracy theory may be the charge of Jews killing Christian children.
A Star Wars artwork

Is Star Wars Cultural Appropriation?

Orientalism is alive and well in the wildly popular franchise, argues one scholar.
Walmart employee Clara Martinez stocks the shelves at a Walmart store on February 19, 2015 in Miami, Florida.

How Retail Sales Became “Unskilled” Work

There's a big difference between how salespeople in traditional department stores and big-box retailers interact with their customers.
New York upper Eastside looking south flooded

New York City, Underwater

Climate change is transforming the Big Apple. How long will it be until America’s largest city is all but wiped off the map?
Oak tree

What Does a Tree See?

A hundred-year-old red oak in a Massachusetts forest told a writer and a team of scientists secrets about change over time.
The cast and crew of a 1950's film at work on a sound stage

How Show Business Went Union

Since the nineteenth century, the IATSE union has organized behind-the-scenes workers, first in theater, then in the movies.
Albert Raboteau

Albert Raboteau on Re-Enchanting the World

The late religion scholar suggested that to regain a sense of wonder, we should look to education.
Palau, Micronesia

Scientists Find Clues to the Mysteries of an Ocean Reef

Beyond the tropical waters of the island nation of Palau lies the Ngaraard Pinnacle, a much rarer kind of reef than its colorful coral cousin.