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.
Marking the Grave of the First African American Landscape Artist
Robert S. Duncanson was among the first African American artists to gain international fame. And yet his grave has stayed unmarked for 146 years.
Valentina Tereshkova and the American Imagination
Remembering the Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, and how she challenged American stereotypes.
Real Placebos, Brutal Progress, and Paleolithic Myths
Well-researched stories from Longreads, The Atlantic, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
