How Does the Body Make Vitamin D from Sunlight?
A Curious Reader asks: How exactly does exposure to sunlight cause the the human body to synthesize Vitamin D3?
Is Alcoholism a Moral Failing?
Cultural explanations for alcoholism have changed significantly throughout the years, sometimes blaming social problems, sometimes psychological.
Why Deep-Sea Creatures Get Weirdly Giant
A giant squid sighting has us wondering all over again: how on earth do deep-sea creatures get so large?
Does Busing Work to Integrate Schools?
Busing as a means used to end school segregation remains controversial. Does it work? The case of Norfolk, Virginia, is highly instructive.
Will the U.S. Ever Catch a High-Speed Train?
Over 20 countries have high-speed train travel, carrying 1.6 billion passengers a year. The United States is lagging behind.
When Hortense Powdermaker Studied Hollywood
This anthropologist's research on contemporary American society probes the tensions between business and art in the film world.
The Meaning of Methane on Mars
Curiosity rover's recent report of methane on Mars isn't the first time the gas has been indicated. Does it necessarily mean that Mars harbors life?
Should Museums Display Shrunken Heads?
Tsantsas, or shrunken human heads, remind us of how museums have often been founded on a violent trade in indigenous culture.
What We Mean By “Better Living”
How advertising used the phrase “better living” to portray big business as a force for moral good and continuous progress.
Meet the Man Behind the Peony
In China, gramophone and camera in tow, botanist and explorer Joseph Rock collected seeds from the tree peony that bears his name.