“A noted Texas historian and his adult child get behind the wheel to see if they can finally view their home state the same way.”
History
How Plate Tectonics Revolutionized Our Understanding of Earth
“And how scientist Tanya Atwater was at the center of it all.”
Meet the Oldest Rock in the West
“Wyoming’s 3.5 billion-year-old geologic history reminds us that Earth is ever-changing.”
The Strange Tale of Sigmund Freud’s Begonia
“How the gift of a plant helped Emma Freud finally get to know her great-grandfather.”
The Real Da Vinci Code
“Scholars on a quixotic quest to identify Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA achieve a milestone.”
Anatomy of Absolute Power
The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monster—it just depends on who you ask.
Filthy Matters
“Calvin Gimpelevich writes on the history and politics of public bathrooms.”
‘I Awoke at ½ Past 7’
“Our cursed age of self-monitoring and optimisation didn’t start with big tech: as so often, the Victorians are to blame.”
The Rhythms of “Rock Creek Park”
“The Blackbyrds’ ode to DC inspired a new generation of artists.”
How to Make Art Out of Confederate Monuments
“A new show featuring decommissioned statues forces a reckoning with American history at a moment when Donald Trump is trying to stop just that.”
