Does My Dog Really Feel Shame?
A Curious Reader asks: When my dog gets that “hang dog” expression after I scold her for misbehavior, is she really ashamed?
Does Forest Thinning Work?
Does forest thinning, a land management strategy, offer an effective solution to the problem of forest fires?
Che Guevara
In 1964, 5 years after the end of the Cuban revolution, Che Guevara wrote for an academic journal. Read the Cuban leader in his own words.
Ada Lovelace, Pioneer
Ada Lovelace wrote extensive notes on the world’s first computer. Her innovations foreshadowed those used in twentieth-century PCs.
The Ethics of Research on Captive Dolphins
Researchers say that dolphins are so smart that captivity causes them psychological harm. But getting data in the open ocean can be tricky.
Why Did Nixon Burn the China Hands?
Nixon targeted Foreign Service officers who served in China in the 1940s as communist sympathizers and "fellow travelers." Then he opened trade relations.
Wild Rice’s Refusal to Be Domesticated
The reality of wild rice defeated the best efforts of Europeans to domesticate it.
Why the Dakota Only Traded among People with Kinship Bonds
“Trapping was not a ‘business for profit’ among the Dakota but primarily a social exchange,” one scholar writes.
When Botany Was for Ladies
In nineteenth century America, young women took to studying botany—a conjoining of interest, social acceptance, and readily available schooling.
The Cultural Differences in Humpback Whale Songs
One group of researchers found distinct differences among songs from groups of humpback whales that are geographically isolated from each other.