Scholars
Leading intellectuals in the fields of history, philosophy and science
Benjamin Franklin’s Phonetic Alphabet
One of the founding father's more quixotic quests was to create a new alphabet. No Q included
May 10, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Life in the City Is Essentially One Giant Math Problem
Experts in the emerging field of quantitative urbanism believe that many aspects of modern cities can be reduced to mathematical formulas
May 2013 |
By Jerry Adler
We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now
Smithsonian researchers used optical technology to play back the unplayable records
May 2013 |
By Charlotte Gray
Curses! Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Astounding Death Car
Was the man whose assassination began World War I riding in a car destined to bring death to a series of owners?
April 22, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Intriguing Science Art From the University of Wisconsin
From a fish's dyed nerves to vapor strewn across the planet, images submitted to a contest at the university offer new perspectives of the natural world
April 19, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What’s in Century-Old ‘Snake Oil’ Medicines? Mercury and Lead
A chemical analysis of early 1900s medicines, billed as cure-alls, revealed vitamins and calcium along with toxic compounds
April 08, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
When New York City Tamed the Feared Gunslinger Bat Masterson
The lawman had a reputation to protect—but that reputation shifted after he moved East
April 03, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
B.F. Skinner: The Man Who Taught Pigeons to Play Ping-Pong and Rats to Pull Levers
One of behavioral psychology's most famous scientists was also one of the quirkiest
March 20, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
The Secret Plot to Rescue Napoleon by Submarine
In 1820, one of Britain's most notorious criminals hatched a plan to rescue the emperor from exile on the Atlantic isle of St Helena -- but did he ever try it?
March 08, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Jane Goodall Reveals Her Lifelong Fascination With…Plants?
After studying chimpanzees for decades, the celebrated scientist turns her penetrating gaze on another life-form
March 2013 |
By Jane Goodall
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Soviet Sniper
Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a Soviet sniper credited with 309 kills—and an advocate for women's rights. On a U.S. tour in 1942, she found a friend in the first lady.
February 21, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
Interview: Jane Goodall on the Future of Plants and Chimps
The renowned chimp expert discusses her new book, her efforts to protect the rainforest and why she misses living with chimps
February 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches
Did members of a powerful society of warlocks actually murder their enemies and kidnap children?
February 19, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Unmanned Drones Have Been Around Since World War I
They have recently been the subject of a lot of scrutiny, but the American military first began developing similar aerial vehicles during World War I
February 12, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The House Where Darwin Lived
Home to the naturalist for 40 years, the estate near London was always evolving
February 2013 |
By Rebecca Stott
Origami: A Blend of Sculpture and Mathematics
Artist and MIT professor Erik Demaine makes flat geometric diagrams spring into elegant, three-dimensional origami sculptures
January 23, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Men Commit Scientific Fraud Much More Frequently Than Women
According to a new study, they're also much more likely to lie about their findings as they climb the academic ladder
January 23, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Candor and Lies of Nazi Officer Albert Speer
The minister of armaments was happy to tell his captors about the war machine he had built. But it was a different story when he was asked about the Holocaust
January 08, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
What’s Inside a 2,000-Year-Old, Shipwreck-Preserved Roman Pill?
Ancient Roman pills, preserved in sealed tin containers on the seafloor, may have been used as eye medicine
January 07, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
