Cube dice

The Ancient Origins of Dice

Gambling is one of humankind’s oldest activities. Elaborate technologies and customs have emerged around games of chance. Dice in particular have drawn attention from scholars.
long-tailed macaque

Should We Fear Cloning?

Recently, two baby monkeys were cloned—the first time primates have been successfully duplicated. Why are we so afraid of human cloning?
Joshua Pearce positioning a solar panel

Converting Tobacco Fields into Solar Farms Can Save Half a Million Lives a Year

The cost of generating solar power has dropped so dramatically, it is now economically advantageous for tobacco farmers to replace tobacco with solar farms in many places.
A wild dingo

The Unexpected Result of Australia’s Dingo Fence

The story of dingoes in Australia is the first recorded case where an introduced predator has taken on such a functional role in its adopted ecosystem.
Toddler boy playing in sandbox

Should Parents Fear the Sandbox?

The good news is that most parents living in sanitary environments really don’t need to worry about toxocariasis. The bad news is that toxocara may be yet another obstacle placed in front of disadvantaged children.
Menstrual pads history

The Secret History of Menstruation

Menstruation is both a mundane fact of life and an oddly under-discussed subject. For many centuries, Western industrial societies have simply ignored it.
Paul Lussier

On the Side of Climate Solutions: An Interview with Paul Lussier

How to energize people, work with business, and develop solution-focused rhetoric and strategy before it’s too late.
Wild Orangutan Female Eating Red Berries

How Wild Animals Self-Medicate

The range of animals known to make use of available medicinal materials includes orangutans, dogs, parrots, spider monkeys, lizards, and lemurs.
A scientist places a specimen in a container while in a lab

These (Aggressive) Newfound Ocean Viruses May Also Live in the Human Gut

Is the newly discovered, tailless Autolykiviridae virus shaping your microbiome?
Selfie in Paris

What to Do When Social Media Inspires Envy

In the case of envy, social media works in three closely related ways: by increasing proximity, by eliminating encapsulation and by rejecting concealment.