Forest fire burning, Wildfire at night in Chiangmai, Thailand

Welcome to the Age of Megafires

It's been a terrible year for fires in California and elsewhere around the world. Because then it always is now in the age of megafires.
USPS Forever stamps featuring illustrations from Ezra Jack Keats' book "Snowy Day"

The Man Whose Snowy Day Helped Diversify Children’s Books

Jack Ezra Keats's 1962 book The Snowy Day featured an African-American protagonist, a first for a full-color children’s book.
mother and kids taking selfie stick picture in Europe

Instagram, YouTube, and the New Child Stars

The term 'child star' is almost synonymous with dysfunction. We're familiar with TV and movie kids, but what about those made famous by social media?
Bible pages

What Good Is Knowing the Bible?

Despite the high rates of religious adherence in the United States, fewer Americans are reading the Bible than at any point in history.
Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota

The Unlikely Reason Why Mount Rushmore Exists

Mount Rushmore has been controversial since its inception. Its designer, Gutzon Borglum, wanted to communicate a particular vision of American history.
Christopher Robin

The Sad Story of A. A. Milne and the Real-Life Christopher Robin

The film Goodbye, Christopher Robin tells the story of how A. A. Milne’s popular children’s stories damaged his son, the real-life Christopher Robin.
Boys fishing in a bayou, Schriever, LA, 1940

Why Our Work Affects How Kids Play

The way we think about the skills kids need—and even how they should play—is deeply tied to the characteristics we expect them to need as adults.
Portrait of Sir Thomas Browne

Sir Thomas Browne’s Vulgar Errors

If you're suffering from exhaustion, hallucination, or a coma, then you have Sir Thomas Browne, dead 335 years now, to thank.
Japanese tsunami debris

Marine Debris and Its Dangerous Hitchhikers

Larger pieces of floating debris, like that caused by the Japanese tsunami, may carry hitchhikers in the form of organisms native to their place of origin.
kitchen of the future baby boomers

Did Better Household Technology Create the Baby Boomers?

The Baby Boomers have been blamed for everything from economic stagnation to America's current political situation. But where did they come from?