Pioneers Were America’s Original Artisanal Bakers
Why were cowboys and pioneers so obsessed with their baked goods? A look at the birth of sourdough culture (har har) in the United States.
Maybe Earthworms Aren’t So Great For Soil After All
Earthworms are often portrayed as beneficial to the environment, but in North America's temperate forests, they are a disaster in action.
What Venezuela Can Teach Us About Saving Failed States
Outside intervention in Venezuela is built on the idea that the fallout of a failed state has ramifications beyond its national borders.
Branwell: The Other Brontë
It's the 200th anniversary of the birth of Branwell Brontë, who isn't nearly as famous as his three sisters but remains a key player in the family drama.
National Security and the Rise of American Air Power
Intending to rein in spending, the 1947 National Security Act reorganized the military establishment.
Your Gut, Your Emotions
According to an international team led by UCLA researchers, our emotions may be partially driven by an unlikely source: our gut bacteria.
What Links Religion and Authoritarianism?
The connections between religiousness and authoritarianism, studied for decades, depend upon the kind of religious belief.
Suggested Readings: Fake Surgery, Unending Plastic, and the Enduring Jane Austen
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.
Did Youth Farming Programs Really Fight Juvenile Delinquency?
Summer jobs for teens are becoming a thing of the past, but considering these beet farm jobs, maybe we shouldn't romanticize them too much.
What’s a Kilogram?
At the end of the nineteenth century, the kilogram was conceived as the mass of one liter of water at 4°C, the temperature at which water was densest.