History & Society

History & Society

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

largest planet
There's a limit to how large planets can be, and it's only about double the radius of Jupiter. At least, so far.
big bacteria
A gigantic bacterium evolved differently than fundamental models of biology would have predicted. Simply put, these bacteria shouldn't exist.
russia cyberattack
Russia's cyberattacks against Ukraine have been prolific and ongoing for several years. The future of war may begin in cyberspace.
chernobyl radiation
The rhetorical fallout is greater than the radioactive fallout.
An ancient continent called Balkanatolia rose and fell in the area in and around what is now the eastern Mediterranean.
library benefits
Investments in public libraries are a long-term investment in children and communities.
Putin literature
Vladimir Putin adores Fyodor Dostoevsky. A close reading of the legendary author’s texts reveals the feeling might have been mutual. 
hottest planet
Despite being the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury "only" reaches 800 °F at its hottest. Venus is always hotter, even at night.
A rolled up newspaper with Joe Biden on the front page.
George Washington, for example, was quite happy to engage in deception, if that deception would help protect the United States.
socratic problem
Socrates lived during a time when people did not strive to separate fact from fiction. So how much of what we know about Socrates is true?
scholz's star
Planet Earth has been around for over 4.5 billion years, but humans? For 99.998% of our planet's history, humans were nowhere to be found.
In "Off the Edge", journalist Kelly Weill dives down the strange rabbit hole of the flat-Earther community.
amateur astronomy
Professional astronomy images are the gold standard. But this Large Magellanic Cloud composite is the amateur community's best image ever.
Japanese Shinto religion shrine
Online Shinto communities have existed since the birth of the internet as we know it.
how to measure happiness
A lot of research assumes happiness is measured by comfort and material conditions. For Aristotle, it is about being the best we can be.
A Mars-like visual.
Our research on a Martian meteorite provides new clues about early surface conditions on the red planet.
ukraine
Russia has long sought to erase the mere idea of Ukraine. But people like my grandmother, born in Druzhkivka, will not let Russia win.
Growth of Ukraine
The Bolsheviks may have created Ukraine’s current borders, but that doesn’t mean dismantling them is good for today’s Russia.
Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy
“When molecules misbehave, it can lead to great insight.”