History & Society

History & Society

Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.

cosmic epochs lookback hubble 13.8 billion
With a finite 13.8 billion years having passed since the Big Bang, there's an edge to what we can see: the cosmic horizon. What's it like?
a clock that is in the middle of a picture.
If the evolution of the Universe is a movie, what happens when we rewind it all the way backward?
a red and yellow car driving down a street next to a crowd.
Steam cars hit the U.S. market in the 1890s but were largely extinct by the 1930s. Will technology bring them back?
a group of people's faces with different colors.
We bring multifaceted selves to our interactions, and in these interactions co-create each other again and again. 
a roll of patriotic ribbon on a white surface.
Estonia has long been seen as a pioneer in digitizing the democratic process.
Bunny in a hot tub
The utilitarian “greatest happiness principle” has remained popular for two centuries — is it time for a rethink?
the interior of a large cathedral with chandeliers.
The cathedral is being explored as never before.
A black-and-white painting depicts a man with tousled hair, a mustache, and a suit with a tie, facing forward against a textured background.
8mins
What makes some scientists culturally significant, while others remain in obscurity? Well, there’s a science to it.
mauritius reunion ISS earth night
Mercury, Venus, and Mars are all uni-plate planets, and may always have been. Here's what's known about why Earth, uniquely, has plate tectonics.
a map of a city with red areas.
Parking lots are about one-fifth of all land in U.S. city centers, making them "easy to get to, but not worth arriving at."
a man sitting in front of a laptop computer.
To what extent will our psychological vulnerabilities shape our interactions with emerging technologies?
blue water lily illustration
Brian C. Muraresku, New York Times best-selling author of "The Immortality Key," unpacks ancient evidence for the widespread ritual use of psychoactive plants.
a black and white photo of an animal skull.
Researchers discovered something modern humans had never before seen—a flashy Neanderthal horn collection.
uap ufo UAPs UFOs
Lots of people have seen lots of bizarre events and phenomena that defy our conventional experience. But is there a scientific explanation?
the sun is setting over the ocean on a cloudy day.
Temperatures in the Sun's core exceed 10 million degrees Celsius. But how on Earth did we actually come to know that?
a collage of a woman's face with a colorful background.
1hr 19mins
Steven Pinker explains how to cultivate greater rationality in today's complex world.
a golden statue of a person sitting in a lotus position.
Yoga is more than just standing on your head. It's about uniting with the divine.