The dirty history of soap
With hand-washing top of mind, soap is an integral part of keeping clean. But people through the ages relied on earlier…
May 12, 2020
579
Arts
Ashamed over my mental illness, I realized drawing might help me – and others – cope
Penn State Laureate William Doan found solace in a daily act that has benefits scientists are just beginning to understand.
May 12, 2020
427
Yes, websites really are starting to look more similar
Design bloggers have long had creeping suspicion, so a team of researchers decided to analyze the aesthetics of nearly 10,000…
May 6, 2020
452
We call workers 'essential' – but is that just referring to the work, not the people?
There's a disconnect between how many low-wage workers are being described, and what they're experiencing on the…
May 4, 2020
444
The impulse to garden in hard times has deep roots
What drives people to garden isn't the fear of hunger so much as hunger for physical contact – and a longing to engage…
May 1, 2020
455
As states weigh human lives versus the economy, history suggests the economy often wins
During two 17th-century medical calamities, economic imperatives outweighed moral concerns.
April 29, 2020
447
3 volunteering guidelines to heed during the coronavirus pandemic
A volunteering expert offers guidance on how to help at a time when you may need to keep your helping hands to yourself.
April 28, 2020
459
Diary of Samuel Pepys shows how life under the bubonic plague mirrored today's pandemic
Sure, there were no Zoom calls or ventilators. But thanks to a prolific diarist, we can see some striking similarities,…
April 24, 2020
435
Can an intelligence test forecast which quarterback draft prospects will have NFL success?
For nearly 50 years, teams have administered the controversial Wonderlic test to measure cognitive ability. Two researchers…
April 22, 2020
531
Trump wants sports back – but fans aren't so eager
Nearly three-quarters of fans say they won’t attend games until a vaccine has been developed.
April 20, 2020
417
What's lost when we're too afraid to touch the world around us?
With dreaded, invisible germs lurking on surfaces and in people, our surroundings are seen as a minefield – and we end…
April 17, 2020
440
How the rich reacted to the bubonic plague has eerie similarities to today's pandemic
Then – as now – the wealthy fled to the countryside, while the urban poor were forced to work on the front lines.
April 16, 2020
424
Shuttered by the coronavirus, many gay bars – already struggling – are now on life support
Their loss affects those in the LGBT community who have the least to lose.
April 14, 2020
431
Making music at a distance – how to come together online to spark your creativity
Musicians around the world can connect with you online as you keep your social distance. Try it!
April 13, 2020
948
Muslim women who cover their faces find greater acceptance among coronavirus masks – 'Nobody is givi
As people everywhere don face masks, scarves and bandanas to protect against coronavirus, Muslim women who wear the niqab,…
April 10, 2020
784
Inside the Beatles' messy breakup, 50 years ago
Unbridled ambition and bruised egos created an irreparable fissure.
April 10, 2020
434
Visualizing the virus
Far from alarmist, images of the coronavirus seem to communicate patience and trust in science – both of which will be…
April 9, 2020
490
A world without sports
This isn't the first time sports have been put on hold. But in the past, the reprieve was brief, and sports went on…
April 7, 2020
498
'Tiger King' masks true nature of America's captive tiger problem
There are more captive tigers in the U.S. than there are in the wild around the world – and they can be bought for less…
April 4, 2020
537
Bob Dylan brings links between JFK assassination and coronavirus into stark relief
During our current bout of collective trauma, many of our coping strategies have mimicked the ways Americans responded to…
April 2, 2020
431