The Platypus Is Even Weirder Than You Thought
Platypuses. They’re weird. In fact, platypuses are so unusual that it took taxonomists more than eighty years just to decide what they are.
Why Do We Have Prisons in the United States?
The Enlightenment brought the idea that punishments should be certain and mild, rather than harsh with lots of pardons and exceptions.
Would You Like Phthalates with That?
People who like dining out have 40 to 55 percent higher phthalate levels than those who eat at home.
Facebook data, gene-edited food, and a newly discovered organ
The best of the web this week: National Geographic on a fluid-filled mesh layer beneath our skin, Wired on gene-edited food, and more.
Poisoning like the Romans
The Romans certainly have a reputation for using poisons, but what do we really know about this form of assassination in the classical era?
Fighting Bacterial Infection With…Viruses?
As bacteria develop resistance to widely-used antibiotics, some researchers are turning to bacteria’s natural enemy: a very special virus called a bacteriophage.
The Unbearable Sadness of Toast
One scholar sees the toaster as a symbol of a modernized, industrialized society—the culprit of bread’s mechanization and a perpetrator of assimilation.
The Completely True History of April Fools’ Day
The door to spring is guarded by fools, but that's ok, because they're not all that serious. And everybody knows the password: April Fools!
The Privileged and Impoverished Life of Phillis Wheatley
The first African American to publish a book of poetry has remained a controversial figure in the Black community.
Should We Thank Frig it’s Friday?
The Anglo-Saxon goddess Frig has often been cited as the origin of the word Friday, but one scholar questions whether such a deity ever existed.