Essay Poverty, pandemic, and peace of mind October 14, 2021 When COVID-19 spread around the world, I was living in the south of France, but my mind was in the U.S. south. Read More
Essay A social democratic surprise: The results of the German elections October 12, 2021 The first election after Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 retirement was eagerly awaited, since it would show the direction of Germany鈥檚 and Europe鈥檚 future. Read More
Interview Kyle Harper on Plagues upon the Earth October 06, 2021 Plagues upon the Earth聽is a monumental history of humans and their germs. Weaving together a grand narrative of global history with insights from cutting-edge genetics, Kyle Harper explains why humanity鈥檚 uniquely dangerous disease pool is rooted deep in our evolutionary past, and why its growth is accelerated by technological progress. Read More
Essay A look inside City of Dreams October 03, 2021 On April 10, 1962, amid ceremony and celebration, Dodger Stadium, major league baseball鈥檚 modern showpiece, opened in Los Angeles, California. Read More
Interview Shelley Frisch on the work (and play) of translation September 30, 2021 Award-winning translator Shelley Frisch shares her thoughts about the principles that guide her work, rituals that she turns to as she settles in with a work, and what she enjoys most about translating texts. Read More
Essay The fall of Kabul and the new decolonization September 28, 2021 The collapse of the Western-backed regime in Afghanistan in August 2021, and the subsequent images of the chaotic retreat of the American-led forces from Kabul Airport鈥攇randiosely named after the former President of a now-defunct regime, Hamid Karzai鈥攆its easily into the photo album of contemporary history. Read More
Essay All stories are stories about food September 27, 2021 A confession: for many years I lived a double life鈥攁s a writer, anyway. I started as a scholar of the Renaissance and antiquity who loved to cook, to eat, and to taste wine; then, by various happy accidents, I began to receive requests that I actually write about cooking, eating, and tasting wine. Read More
Interview Kathryn Paige Harden on The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality September 20, 2021 In recent years, scientists like Kathryn Paige Harden have shown that聽DNA聽makes us different, in our personalities and in our health鈥攁nd in ways that matter for educational and economic success in our current society. Read More
Essay Galaxies, the expanding universe, and the Big Bang September 19, 2021 Stars are so far away, they appear as unresolved points of light, even through modern telescopes. But seventeenth-century astronomers noticed a number of other objects in the sky that were extended and often fuzzy looking. Read More
Essay The soft pipes September 16, 2021 As a philosopher who writes about love, I am sometimes asked what I love. I could answer in particulars: specific people, places, and objects. Read More
Essay A look inside The War for Gaul: A New Translation September 13, 2021 Caesar deserves to be compared with Alexander the Great. No one before or since comes close. Read More
Interview Anne-Marie Slaughter on Renewal September 07, 2021 Like much of the world, America is deeply divided over identity, equality, and history.聽Renewal聽is Anne-Marie Slaughter鈥檚 candid and deeply personal account of how her own odyssey opened the door to an important new understanding of how we as individuals, organizations, and nations can move backward and forward at the same time, facing the past and embracing a new future. Read More
Essay On bees, flowers, and patience September 06, 2021 It was cool among the Tamarisk and they misted on me lightly. I sat, hugging my legs to my chest, chin resting on my knees.聽I resisted the urge to swish away the bugs exploring my ears and eyebrows. Read More
Interview Daniel M. Davis on The Secret Body August 29, 2021 New science of the human body is changing our lives. In The Secret Body, leading scientist Daniel M. Davis looks across six frontiers鈥攃ells, the embryo, the body鈥檚 organs and tissues, the brain, the microbiome, and the human genome鈥攚here revolutionary new understanding is emerging. Read More
Essay The three ages of India鈥檚 democracy August 26, 2021 The comparative study of democracies has long since determined that this type of regime warrants qualification. While liberal democracy remains an ideal form, many 鈥渉ybrids鈥� that blend this archetype with other political genres have long existed. Read More
