Podcast The Aesthetic Cold War January 04, 2023 How did superpower competition and the cold war affect writers in the decolonizing world? Peter Kalliney explores the various ways that rival states used cultural diplomacy and the political police to influence writers. Read More
Video Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham on how to uncover the ‘secret syllabus’ January 03, 2023 Drawing on decades of learning and teaching experience, Professors Jay Phelan and Terry Burnham show how students at both graduate and undergraduate levels can master the ‘secret syllabus’ and get the most out of their college experience. Read More
Essay Lessons from the past about the future of capitalism January 02, 2023 The capitalist economic system has delivered wealth to the world population on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, many people feel unhappy about how little the economy does for them. Read More
Interview Daisy Hay on Dinner with Joseph Johnson January 01, 2023 Joseph Johnson was an extraordinary man, who brought together an extraordinary range of people. But Dinner with Joseph Johnson is not straightforwardly a biography of him—or even a book about him. Read More
Essay What Hollywood gets wrong (and right) about neuroscience December 23, 2022 Become a martial arts expert by uploading the ability to fight directly to your brain. Build a new body and insert the mind of a lost loved one into this newly created person. Read More
Essay A look inside Running Out December 22, 2022 On the high plains of western Kansas, there is no clear line between water and second chances. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was in search of both when I turned my Prius off a two-lane highway and onto the washboard gravel that led back to the farm. Read More
Interview In dialogue: Perspectives on migration December 14, 2022 Few phenomena sway global politics today as does migration. Economic volatility, violence-laden crises, and climate change produce millions of migrants annually and collectively threaten to displace much of the world’s population in the coming century. Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Torie Bosch on the intimate connections between technology and its creators December 14, 2022 When they think of “code”, many people imagine something impersonal and immutable. In this video, PUP Speaks author Torie Bosch shows the surprisingly intimate connections between technology and the people who create it. Read More
Essay Why prove it? December 13, 2022 Years ago, a student in an introductory math class asked me: “Why do you prove everything; why don’t you just tell us?” Ever since, I have pondered that question. Read More
Essay Parasites and the interconnected biosphere December 13, 2022 One of the most fascinating things that a young person can experience in the complex realm of biology is the discovery of an animal living inside another animal. The questions that arise when these kinds of animals are encountered for the first time are innumerable and, if answered carefully, may lead to even more questions and, hopefully, more answers. Read More
Essay Why going to the Moon still matters December 12, 2022 The Moon is back on the space agenda. NASA’s Apollo project succeeded half a century ago in placing the first men on the Moon. We haven’t been back since 1972, but there is now great interest in returning. Read More
Essay Galápagos birds: A lot more than meets the eye December 12, 2022 As a child growing up in the then-remote Galapagos Islands, the birds that surrounded my island home—unafraid as they were—fascinated me. Read More
Essay Live longer by living better, says Seneca December 05, 2022 Because we can't truly conceive of an endpoint to life, we give to our time far less value than we should, squandering it on useless pursuits or frivolities. Read More
Interview Elena Llaudet and Kosuke Imai on Data Analysis for Social Science November 28, 2022 Data Analysis for Social Science teaches step-by-step how to analyze data with the free and popular statistical program R and covers the fundamentals of survey research, predictive models, and causal inference. Read More
Interview Office hours with Forrest Stuart November 26, 2022 Forrest Stuart, author of Ballad of the Bullet: Gangs, Drill Music, and the Power of Online Infamy, shares some significant moments thus far in his career, offers valuable insight on some of his favorite books—and may surprise you with his bedtime reading habits. Read More