Did Barack Obama Deserve the Nobel Prize?
Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. He took the award not as a reward for accomplishments but as a "call to action."
A History of Noise
What's noisier, nature or civilization? Whether we consider the sounds of nature to be pleasant or menacing depends largely on our ideologies.
The Myth of the St. Augustine Monster
The idea of the gigantic octopus has tantalized marine scientists for years, although its existence had never been conclusively proven.
Susan Fenimore Cooper, Forgotten Naturalist
Susan Fenimore Cooper, known as her father James Fenimore Cooper’s secretary, is now being recognized as one of the nation's first environmentalists.
Atoms for… Peace?
Iran's nuclear program is in the news, again. But what's the backstory on how the country went nuclear in the first place?
When Prison Time Meant Rhymes
The “gay, frolicsome and amusing" rhymes of 1970s American prison slang.
Why Are Medieval Lions So Bad?
The inaccuracy of medieval lions may have been a stylistic preference, particularly in a bestiary, or compendium of beasts.
John Snow and the Birth of Epidemiology
Even though this physician pre-dated germ theory, he was able to track a London outbreak of cholera to one particular water pump.
How Ellen DeGeneres Changed TV
In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out on her show, Ellen. It was a cultural turning point for many.
Humans Are Still Evolving
Biologists suggest that evolution never stops, even for modern humans. This is especially true in parts of the developing world.