Frank S. Matsura’s American West (Literary Hub)
by Glen Mimura
In the early twentieth century, iconic images by white photographers portrayed Native people of the American West as a noble and tragic vanishing people. Japanese photographer Frank S. Matsura captured something very different.

What Makes Gold Dirty? (Sapiens)
by Giselle Figueroa de la Ossa
In global markets, gold is the ultimate “risk-free” investment—as long as it comes from “clean” sources. But what does that mean on the ground and in the context of a history of colonialism and resource extraction?

A History of Fighting About Women’s Studies (Public Books)
by Annabel Barry, Caroline Godard, and Anna Park
Women’s Studies departments are coming under attack from the outside and experiencing internal tensions. That’s nothing new for the discipline. But the debates around feminism in the academy may reflect some of the most valuable things that universities have to offer.

The Complicated Quest for Signs of Life on Mars (Ars Technica)
by Jennifer Ouellette
A rock discovered by NASA’s Perseverance rover holds unusual chemical signatures that could be the result of ancient microbial life. Or maybe not. What will it take to figure out the truth?

Grandmother of the Nation (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Rebecca Brenner Graham
George Washington has always been a near-mythic figure in the US, which makes his mother, Mary Ball Washington, a legend as well. The ways we’ve understood her story, as a mother, enslaver, and independent widow, have shifted over time.

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