This 19th-Century Obscenity Law Is Still Restricting People’s Reproductive Rights
The Comstock Act is part of a federal case over access to abortion pills. A historical science-fiction writer weighs in on the legacy of 19th-century prudishness
The Lifesaving Sled Dog Balto Had Genes unlike Those of Dog Breeds Today
The genome of the 1920s Siberian husky Balto suggests that greater genetic diversity and less inbreeding contribute to better health
Who Invented the Measurement of Time?
The first timekeeping devices were probably natural materials lost to the ages, but the ancient Egyptians were the first to leave records of their timekeeping methods
The Surprising Backstory behind Witch Hunts and Reproductive Labor
Two of the foremost experts on witch hunts talk about the link between the formation of domestic labor and the rise of witch hunting.
The Little-Known Origin Story behind the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
In 1949 physicist Chien-Shiung Wu devised an experiment that documented evidence of entanglement. Her findings have been hidden in plain sight for more than 70 years
Beethoven’s Cause of Death Revealed from Locks of Hair
DNA from locks of Beethoven’s hair reveals how the composer died, but his hearing loss remains a mystery
Scientists Decipher 57 Letters That Mary, Queen of Scots Wrote before Her Beheading
In newly deciphered letters written from captivity in the late 1500s, deposed queen of Scotland Mary Stuart complained about her health and tried to negotiate her release
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: February 2023
Paranoid computer; Mount Everest not the highest
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: January 2023
Hydrogen power; alcohol from moss
A Field at a Crossroads: Genetics and Racial Mythmaking
As their research is twisted to fuel racist claims, many geneticists are weighing the societal risks of their work
What Is a Dog Anyway?
Defining what a dog is is really tough, but the domestication of wolves might be the feat that set modern humans on the path to dominance
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: December 2022
Psychic reward; desert sea