The joke’s on whom? September 19, 2023 Amidst the uproar that ensued after the incident at the Oscars ceremony last year, there were writers and reporters who pointed out that Chris Rock was exercising the age-old tradition of the “fool’s license.” If we actually go to the historical record on court and household fools, then we find an even more interesting, but also more complex, backdrop to the discussion on whether it is right or not to get angry at a comedian for making a joke. Read More
Insect intelligence September 13, 2023 You don’t need spaceships or psychoactive drugs for journeys into alien worlds. I invite you to come into the cockpit of an insect, and view the world through its strange senses. You will discover that inside their exquisitely miniaturized brains, there are surprising levels of sentience and intelligence. Read More
Bill Clinton’s failure September 13, 2023 By 1995 Bill Clinton was fighting to remain “relevant” to the politics of his day. Many would soon label Clinton a “Democratic Eisenhower,” leading a party whose electoral success was predicated upon a wholesale accommodation to the ideologies of its opponents. Read More
To see a world in a beam of light August 24, 2023 On July 11, 2022, U.S. President Biden revealed the First Official Image obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope. It was a terrific way to start a press event—but where were the exoplanets? Read More
Emily Hauser on How Women Became Poets August 24, 2023 Women, as Virginia Woolf recognized, need rooms of their own to write. So, too, have women writers throughout history needed a term to describe what it is they do. Read More
Liberalism’s back to the future moment August 23, 2023 Today liberalism faces a global challenge from populism. To successfully meet this challenge, liberals must return to certain features of liberalism common in the nineteenth century but largely absent since WWII. Read More
From empire to federation? The view from the Middle East August 22, 2023 The European Union, India, the United States of America, and the United Arab Emirates all have something in common: they are all types of federations. Read More
Spotlight on Supporting Diverse Voices: Bridgett vonHoldt August 22, 2023 In this Author Q&A, we highlight the work of Dr. Bridgett vonHoldt, Supporting Diverse Voices grantee and Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. Read More
Uber’s view of urban life August 21, 2023 For years, Diana, who has lived her whole life in the D.C. area, took jobs at fast-food restaurants even though she hated the work. When she started to drive for Uber in 2016, she told us she was enthusiastic about its potential to free her from a reliance on fast-food jobs. Diana was conflicted about Uber, however. Read More
Emotional creatures and the cultivation of mental health August 21, 2023 In Britain and America, mental health is increasingly thought of as a transversal issue, as important for psychologists as for patients, probation workers as for prisoners, politicians as for constituents. Read More
In dialogue: Women in translation August 16, 2023 In recent years, “Women in Translation” month has emerged as a critical platform for questioning the underrepresentation of women authors in translated literature and exploring the significance of bringing their works to a global audience. At its core lie the vital and pressing questions: Why aren’t more works by women being translated, and why are women in translation so important? Read More
Insect apocalypse August 14, 2023 Insects underpin almost all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. But in the last few decades, populations all over the world have collapsed with terrifying speed. Read More
Spotlight on Supporting Diverse Voices: Cara Ocobock July 31, 2023 In this Author Q&A, we highlight the work of Dr. Cara Ocobock, Supporting Diverse Voices grantee and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame. Read More
On origins, Africa, and the novelty of knowledge July 30, 2023 Every living being has origins. Yes, plural, because living organisms adapt and change over time. Read More
Nicolas Mathevon on The Voices of Nature July 27, 2023 Did you know that elephant seals recognize each other by voice? That flies emit sounds with their wings to communicate during courtship? That bird nestlings learn their song by imitating an adult? The world of animal communication is far more incredible than you might think. Read More
