When People Thought Charitable Donations Would Save Their Souls
As the Middle Ages progressed, monasteries became a major engine of economic activity in European communities.
It’s a Yeti! It’s an Abominable Snowman! It’s a… Bear?
A group of scientists from Buffalo tried to definitively prove whether or not the Yeti exists, examining DNA from a variety of hair and tooth samples.
How 17th Century Unmarried Women Helped Shape Capitalism
Under coverture, married English women had no rights to their property, even though unmarried women did, making for a unique system in Europe.
The Scottish Sisters Who Pioneered Art Nouveau
Margaret and Frances Macdonald and their Glasgow School of Art classmates Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Harold MacNair were Art Nouveau's Glasgow Four.
Suggested Readings: Penguins, Traffic, and the FBI
Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each Tuesday from the editors of JSTOR Daily.
Supermalaria, Disaster Testing, and a Drop in Antibiotics Use
A new drug-resistant malaria strain is spreading in South-East Asia. Farmers may be using fewer anti-biotics. Engineers are studying national disasters.
Humans and Their Parasites
Parasitic diseases can be effectively eliminated, but they can persist even in developed countries with effective healthcare systems.
An Ad Campaign for Ads
Back in the 1920s and ‘30s, the magazine Women’s Home Companion tried explicitly appealing to its readers to take the ads seriously.
The Great American Game of Picking the Great American Novel
Arguing about the great American novel was perfect fodder for periodicals in the late 1800s, and it is catnip for a listicle-obsessed internet.
10 Winter Poems To Cozy Up To
Settle in to the winter season with verse from Dylan Thomas, H.D., Pushkin, and more.