The End of the Country Road
When “good roads” first became a political issue, rural people were decidedly not the ones advocating for them.
How Did Kashmir’s 72-Year-Old Conflict Begin?
The proposal to partition British India along religious lines was put forward as early as 1940. The resulting constitutional provision endured until 2019.
How to Carve Up a Cow, Sustainably
The industrial method of meat harvesting wastes a lot of food. Eco-conscious butchers are changing that.
What Did the Winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine Discover?
The 2019 Nobel Prize for Medicine honors a discovery that may make it possible to prevent or even reverse the damage from cardiovascular disease.
How the Great Pumpkin Became Great
The origins of Linus's pumpkin deity, who "rises out of the pumpkin patch and flies through the air and brings toys to all the children in the world."
I Spent Three Hours Staring at an Anthill
And all I got were these fascinating observations of parasitic ants that kidnap other ants.
The Offensive Joke Trap
The audience for a joke has options. They can “support” a joke—for example by laughing at it—or they can respond with “unlaughter."
The Allure of the Millionaire Family Drama
The reason we put aside our personal dislike of rich TV families, people we might deeply resent if they were real, is two-fold.