Sophie Scholl and the Legacy of Resistance
Sophie Scholl has become the face of resistance to Nazism. That took decades, as the legacy of resistance itself was resisted.
The Battle Over Confederate Heritage Month
A Southern governor has proclaimed April to be Confederate Heritage Month. But how can you celebrate the confederacy without mentioning slavery?
What Are We to Make of Thomas Jefferson?
There is perhaps no more enigmatic figure in American history than Thomas Jefferson, born April 13, 1743. How should his legacy be understood today?
Matzo and Oreos: Keeping Kosher in America
The koshering of America's food industry has mostly gone unnoticed. Yet most people who specifically buy kosher foods are not Jewish.
The Unsolved Case of Ötzi the Iceman
Clues have emerged in a very cold case: the Copper Age killing of Ötzi the Iceman. What do we know about this well-preserved mummy?
How Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White Showed Apartheid to Americans
Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White dedicated her life to photography, including a trip to South Africa during the "dawn of the anti-apartheid era."
Suggested Readings: Regime Change, Renewable Power, and Octopus Genes
Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each ...
Scientists Have Always Been Political
Science has always been political, with questions about who pays for research, and who gets to do it, influencing the type of work that gets done.
The Birth of Planned Obsolescence
Before WWII, American businesses began embracing “creative waste”—the idea that throwing things away and buying new ones could fuel a strong economy.
The Turkish Origins of the “Deep State”
The "deep state" idea of a shadowy parallel government, heard much in the news now, seems to be a concept borrowed from the Turkish experience.