Wildfire, Stopping Suicide, and Marshmallow-Topped Casserole
Well-researched stories from Wired, Quartz, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
The Assimilationist Mythology of the X-Men
Stan Lee's X-Men comics explored themes of prejudice and bigotry. So why weren't the original comics that diverse?
How Masks of Mutilated WWI Soldiers Haunted Postwar Culture
In the age before plastic surgery, masks were the best option for veterans with faces scarred by war. The end results, however, were somewhat uncanny.
The Pros (And Cons) of Probiotics
Probiotics are a hot topic--and big business--these days. But do they really work?
Gender Identity in Weimar Germany
Remembering an early academic effort to define sexual orientation and gender identity as variable natural phenomena, rather than moral matters.
The New Meaning of Monuments
Huge monuments to national pride are regaining popularity. One scholar suggests this might also indicate a larger cultural shift.
The Raffish and Radical Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque was an adventuring naturalist who named 2,700 genera and wrote about evolution before Darwin. Why has he been forgotten?
Building Colonies for WWI Veterans
After World War I, policymakers seriously considered the idea of setting up farming colonies for returning veterans.
Pathologizing Distress
One bioethics scholar wonders if modern medicine is in danger of pathologizing what are painful, but normal, human experiences.
The Last Vigil of the Octopus Parent
For some species of octopus, reproducing is a lonely act that ends in death.