Humanities
Critical analysis and thought in the fields of history, law and philosophy
Scientists Published Henrietta Lacks’ Genome Without the Consent of Her Family
Author Rebecca Skloot argues that society is not ready for full genetic disclosures of individuals
March 26, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Count of Dead Pigs Pulled Out of Chinese Rivers Is Up to 16,000
Recent plagues of dead animals floating down China's rivers may be due to farmers evading heightened environmental regulations
March 25, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Tracing $1 Bills Across the United States Is a Surprisingly Useful Hobby
What started as a quirky hobby, has turned into a national bill hunt that's useful for all sorts of people - like physicists
March 25, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Obama Dedicates Five New National Monuments
Locals and environmentalists are happy about the decision, but others warn that the new monuments arrive just in time for the sequester's budget cuts
March 25, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
A Gentile’s Guide to Keeping Kosher for Passover
Updated on March 25, 2013 for the latest in Kosher for Passover news The Torah couldn’t make things any clearer. From Exodus 12:14 and 15: “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as statute forever, you shall keep it as [...]
March 25, 2013 |
By Brian Wolly
Events March 26-28: Student Sit-Ins, Environmental Art and Female Historical Perspectives
This week, re-enact an event that encouraged civil rights, turn water bottles into art and see American history through women's eyes
March 25, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
A Refreshing Take on Fashion Television: A Q&A with L.A. Frock Stars’ Star Doris Raymond
A new series brings high-end style to vintage wear
March 22, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Pediatricians Back Gay Marriage
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that allowing a child's parents to marry is good for kids
March 21, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
An Apollo Rocket Engine Was Just Saved from the Bottom of the Atlantic
These booster rockets sent Apollo astronauts blasting to the Moon
March 21, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny
Unlike New Yorker cartoons, in which, you are actually missing the joke, Garfield is in fact not even designed to be funny
March 20, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
How Did A Group of Plumbers’ Wives Change American History?
Initially a social club, the Women's Auxiliary grew to become one of the nation's most influential organizations in the country
March 20, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
From the Big Bang to the End of the Earth and Everything in Between, the Two Minute History of America
A fun video by a Minnesota high school student tries to capture all of human history in just two minutes
March 20, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
It’s Pineapple Season, But Does Your Fruit Come From Hawaii?
While Hawaii was once the big kahuna in pineapple production, it's since been overtaken by other global powers
March 20, 2013 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Should You Trust Nate Silver’s March Madness Bracket?
Everybody's favorite predictor of the future - Nate Silver - has his own analysis of the tournament over at the New York Times
March 20, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Top Ten Most Influential Travel Books
Even before there were armchairs, voracious bookworms traveled the world just by reading
March 20, 2013 |
By Tony Perrottet
A Partial History of Headphones
Modern headphones have their origin in opera houses, military bases and a kitchen table in Utah
March 19, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Vengeance of Ivarr the Boneless
Did he, and other Vikings, really use a brutal method of ritual execution called the "blood eagle"?
March 18, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
After Twenty-Three Years, FBI Says It Finally Knows Who’s Responsible for the Largest Unsolved Art Heist Ever
Twenty three years ago today, thieves pulled off one of the greatest art heists in history - and the FBI might have just finally caught them
March 18, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Nixon Prolonged Vietnam War for Political Gain—And Johnson Knew About It, Newly Unclassified Tapes Suggest
Nixon ran on a platform that opposed the Vietnam war, but to win the election, he needed the war to continue
March 18, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Perils of Wearing Clothes
From toxins in textile dyes to torturous corsets, beauty has a long history of coming at a high cost
March 18, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
