Interview Amin Ghaziani on Long Live Queer Nightlife April 02, 2024 Not all gay bars are the same. And so, if there are many types of gay bars, then there must be many reasons why some of them are struggling. Those that have folded faced a variety of challenges, some unique to a particular place, others more widely shared. Read More
Essay A twenty-first century medical zoo March 26, 2024 It has taken a long time for humans to recognize that they are animals. Contemporary scientific advances in the life sciences have added to that promising insight by painting a picture of humans, not as autonomous subjects, but rather, inextricably entwined with their environments, starting, for instance, with huge numbers of bacteria, microbes or viruses populating their guts and skins. Read More
Interview Leslie Valiant on The Importance of Being Educable March 26, 2024 We are at a crossroads in history. If we hope to share our planet successfully with one another and the AI systems we are creating, we must reflect on who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading. Read More
Interview Martin Thomas on The End of Empires and a World Remade March 25, 2024 Martin Thomas tells the story of decolonization and its intrinsic link to globalization. He traces the connections between these two transformative processes: the end of formal empire and the acceleration of global integration, market reorganization, cultural exchange, and migration. Read More
Essay How bad was the world鈥檚 first pandemic? March 25, 2024 What exogenous shock knocked the Roman Empire from its prosperous and peaceful pinnacle? In recent years, historians have zeroed in on an infectious outbreak known as the Antonine plague鈥攁n apparent pox-like disease that ravaged not just Rome, but several Roman cities during Marcus鈥� reign. Read More
Essay The wonderful world of wasps March 20, 2024 Wasps continued conservation and presence are essential聽for our own well-being but, rather scarily, we know very little about the world鈥檚 incredibly rich species diversity, and even less about their ecological interactions. Read More
Reading List Books for understanding how we vote March 15, 2024 2024 is a momentous year for global elections, with high-stakes, historic elections in over 50 countries. Seeking clarity on voting worldwide, and the political and social factors at play? This reading list can help. Read More
Essay ISMs: Quotations for a new generation March 13, 2024 While Einstein, Darwin, and Jung conducted most of their intellectual work in writing, artists rarely do the same. But it is still possible to know their words. Read More
Podcast AI Needs You March 12, 2024 Artificial intelligence may be the most transformative technology of our time. As AI鈥檚 power grows, so does the need to figure out what鈥攁nd who鈥攖his technology is really for. AI Needs You argues that it is critical for society to take the lead in answering this urgent question and ensuring that AI fulfills its promise. Read More
Interview Urs Gasser and Viktor Mayer-Sch枚nberger on Guardrails March 08, 2024 What are good guardrails in today鈥檚 world of overwhelming information flows and increasingly powerful technologies, such as artificial intelligence? Read More
Podcast Listen in: Pox Romana February 27, 2024 In the middle of the second century AD, Rome was at its prosperous and powerful apex. The emperor Marcus Aurelius reigned over a vast territory that stretched from Britain to Egypt. The Roman-made peace, or Pax Romana, seemed to be permanent. Read More
Interview Stephen Porder on Elemental February 27, 2024 It is rare for life to change Earth, yet three organisms have profoundly transformed our planet over the long course of its history. Read More
Essay Learning from imperial violence February 22, 2024 Historians are supposed to feel lucky when our new books align closely with topics prominently in the news. I would welcome a little less relevance for 鈥淭hey Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence.鈥� Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Christopher Harris on the need to reframe Black History Month February 21, 2024 This month, Christopher Harris reminds us that to celebrate Black history is to cherish everyday Black life. Read More
Podcast A Real Right to Vote February 21, 2024 Throughout history, too many Americans have been disenfranchised or faced needless barriers to voting. Part of the blame falls on the Constitution, which does not contain an affirmative right to vote. Read More
