What’s the Definition of Health?
The WHO’s definition has been the target of criticism in the medical literature since its first appearance in 1948.
Why Victorian Gardeners Loathed Magenta
For decades, British and American gardeners avoided magenta flowers. The color had associations with the unnatural and the poisonous.
War and Pest Control
Since World War I, the connections between pest control and war have been scientific, technological, institutional, and metaphorical.
Do Dating Apps Cheapen Love?
Dating apps and services have been accused of cheapening the dominant Western conception of love. One scholar begs to differ.
Preserving South America’s Uncontacted Tribes
There are still tribes living in the Amazon rain forest who carry on their traditional way of life and rebuff attempts at contact.
When Science and Religion Were Connected
During the Second Great Awakening of 1830, science and religion were seen as “two aspects of the same universal truth.”
Goats, Parasites, and Your Climate Change Future
Well-researched stories from Wired, Nursing Clio, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How Fire Damages Water
President Trump has suggested that poor water management causes wildfires. In fact, it's often the other way around.
Some Books Can Kill
Poisonous green pigments laced with arsenic were once a common ingredient in book bindings, paints, wallpapers, and fabrics. Yikes.
Ecological Economics: An Oxymoron?
Mainstream economics has largely neglected to integrate ecological systems into its models. But the two disciplines don't have to be diametrically opposed.