J. M. Coetzee’s Newly Discovered Apartheid-Era Photographs
Much has been written about South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, but his newly found photographs offer a news lens through which to consider his writing.
How Nuclear Tests Spawned Environmentalism
It's been 55 years since the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The massive amounts of fallout in the decade previous to the Treaty taught us a lot about the interconnected planet we live on.
A Brief History of Skis
Researchers tested various ski designs dating back 4,000 years to understand how human movement on snow has evolved.
When Native Americans Were Slaves
Initially, Indian slavery was considered different from African slavery in the early Anglo-American colonial world, but this split didn't last for long.
Should We Fear Cloning?
Recently, two baby monkeys were cloned—the first time primates have been successfully duplicated. Why are we so afraid of human cloning?
What Amy Sherald Tells Us with Michelle Obama’s Dress
How do the artistic inspirations that portrait artist Amy Sherald cites for Michelle Obama’s dress impact our visual and cultural understanding of the portrait for the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery?
Converting Tobacco Fields into Solar Farms Can Save Half a Million Lives a Year
The cost of generating solar power has dropped so dramatically, it is now economically advantageous for tobacco farmers to replace tobacco with solar farms in many places.
Suggested Readings: Thrill-Seeking, Contradictory Coupledom, and Cheddar Man
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.
What a 16th-Century Abortion Ban Revealed
In 1588, Pope Sixtus V issued a papal bull officially classifying abortion, regardless of the stage of fetal development, as homicide.
Why Are Diamonds More Expensive Than Water?
Water is simultaneously one of the few things we absolutely cannot live without, and one of the things we value least. There's an economic rationale behind that.