The Invention of Middle School
In the 1960s, one scholar writes, there was no grand vision behind the idea of a middle school. The problem that the model sought to solve was segregation.
This Week in Sustainability: From Ice Age to Internet Age, Scientists Look for Clues to Species’ Extinctions
Scientists explore the causes--climate change, habitat destruction, and more--that decimated animals and humans alike, from Ice Age to Internet Age.
What Does it Mean to Be on the Endangered Species List?
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is a global list of species and their conservation status.
What Is the Jefferson Davis Highway?
The Jefferson Davis Highway was project of the United Daughters of the Confederacy intended to portray Davis as an American hero.
The Environmental Impact of Nuclear War
Even a limited nuclear war would throw enough soot into the atmosphere to block sunlight and lower global temperatures by more than one degree Celsius.
When is Public Drinking Cool?
The Wall Street Journal reports that property developers are pushing to allow public drinking on city streets, hoping to encourage a “lively atmosphere.”
Two Women of the African Slave Resistance
African women, always a minority in the slave trade, often had to find their own ways of rebellion against slavery if they could.
It’s the End of the World as We Know It. Is there Any Room for Optimism?
Climate scientists tend to be optimistic and have faith that humanity can engineer our way out of the climate change we’ve created.
Tackling Student Homelessness
College students are notoriously strapped for cash. For some, however, that youthful poverty becomes actual homelessness.
Barack Obama and the Nommo Tradition of Afrocentric Orality
A scholar analyzes two of Barack Obama's commencement speeches, using West African nommo oratory as a guide.