The Physics of Karate
A human hand has the power to split wooden planks and demolish concrete blocks. A trio of physicists investigated why this feat doesn't shatter our bones.
Hair Embroidery as Women’s Buddhist Practice
In late imperial China, it was a devotional art using hairs plucked from devotees' own heads.
Slavery in a Free State: The Case of California
California came into the Union as a free state in 1850, but proslavery politicians held considerable sway there.
Madame Stephanie St. Clair: Numbers Queen of Harlem
The colorful career of a woman who ran a gambling ring, fought police corruption, and challenged white mobsters.
How Muhammad Ali Prevailed as a Conscientious Objector
The heavyweight champion lost his title when he refused induction into the military during the Vietnam War.
How Sculptor Meta Warrick Challenged White Supremacy
A 1907 exhibition on the founding of Jamestown featured the work of an artist determined to counter demeaning stereotypes.
Black Women Have Written History for over a Century
Barriers of racism and sexism slowed them down, but academia wasn't their only venue.
Do Viruses Cheat to Win at Evolution?
How one pair of researchers used game theory to predict the sneaky, underhanded behavior of microbial competitors.
Was “Khaki Fever” a Moral Panic over Women’s Sexuality?
At the start of World War I, young working-class women swooned for men in uniform, leading middle-class women to form patrols to police public morals.
Poems by 10 Contemporary Black Poets
Poems by Black poets, including Morgan Parker, Hanif Abdurraqib, Simone White, Terrance Hayes, and more.