Science

In 1991, eight people sealed themselves inside a giant glass biosphere to practice space living. By the time they emerged, they had “suffocated, starved and went mad.”

To prevent botulism in tinned goods, scientists and canners worked with the government to protect the public.

City dwellers of the 19th century were dogged by a foul terror: miasma.

Physicist and writer Leo Szilard was vital to the creation of the atomic bomb. He also did everything he could to prevent its use.

World War I exposed the world to the horror of gas attacks. But why do we draw the line there when other methods of killing prove so much more effective?

Wildfires in the American West are becoming ever more prevalent and destructive. How did we get to this point?

In the late 19th and early 20th century, talk about “the environment” had little of its later coherence or political meaning.

Hunter-gatherer societies may have a bigger ecological impact than we thought.

The history of eugenics in the Progressive Age.

Powell’s foresight might have prevented the 1930s dust bowl and perhaps, today’s water scarcities.

Tim Berners-Lee has seen his creation debased by everything from fake news to mass surveillance. But he’s got a plan to fix it.

The industry's price-gouging economic model was engineered by Wall Street and its political enablers—and only Washington can fix it.

A new book says “the Internet was developed as a weapon and remains a weapon today.” Does the charge hold up?

Bones uncovered at the Manassas National Battlefield Park provide insights into surgery during the Civil War.

Before you grab the 'raw,' some thoughts on how food was before safety and labeling regs were passed.

On the intellectual history of the lines and arrows that have become a standard feature of the news media.

After decades of modern fire prevention, many forests have become dangerous tinder-boxes.

The 1874 locust swarm was estimated to be twice the square mileage of the state of Colorado. Why don't locusts swarm anymore?

Researchers suggest effects of the Colonial Era can be detected in rocks or even air.

In her newest book, Barbara Ehrenreich attacks the "epidemic" of wellness.

A new book explores the nation’s now-faded preoccupation with the 'epidemic' of hunched bodies.

Whether we consider the sounds of nature to be pleasant or menacing depends largely on our ideologies.

A review of Deirdre Cooper Owens' "Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology."

Susan Fenimore Cooper is now being recognized as one of the nation's first environmentalists.

The midlife crisis went from an obscure psychological theory to a ubiquitous phenomenon.

The stations' broadcasts have been attributed to aliens and Cold War relics, but they actually are coded intelligence messages.

Alexa’s interface is treated as revolutionary, but you might be surprised to learn of its predecessors from the mid-1980s.

The development, use, and marketing of medications for children in the 20th century.

Today, 1 in 3 American babies are delivered via the procedure, twice what the World Health Organization recommends.

In 1935, as lava from Mauna Loa advanced on Hilo, the not-yet-famous Army general was called to the rescue.