Diagram with three mollusks

Edgar Allan Poe: Pioneering Mollusk Scientist

Poe’s work reminds us that the separation of “Arts” and “Sciences” into discrete discourses of knowledge is itself a quite recent invention.
Lithograph of Madame Restell's Mansion

Whose Nation? Reconsidering Abortion as an American Tradition

Although originalists fail to see it, abortion has had a long and storied history for American women.
Photo of Dr. Daston Lorraine

Does Science Need History?

Why the history of science is of use to not only the sciences, but all branches of scholarship.
Painting by Henri Testelin of Colbert Presenting the Members of the Royal Academy of Sciences to Louis XIV in 1667 (17th century).

The Dawn of Scientific Racism

In the 1740s, Bordeaux developed some of the first modern theories of racial difference, even as the city profited from the slave trade.
Black-and-white photograph of President Dwight Eisenhower smiling at camera from his desk

The Effective Conservative Governance of Ike Eisenhower

The conservative successes of the Eisenhower administration have been too quickly forgotten.
Black and white photograph of person using binoculars to look at whales.

“Weather Bad and Whales Un-Cooperative”

Looking back at the misadventures of mid-century whale cardiology expeditions.
Rainbow stripe with a bag of blood superimposed over it

Gay Blood Donors: Benching our “Heroes”?

Deferrals for gay men who wish to donate blood are outdated, stigmatizing, unnecessary, and need to be removed.
Handwritten sign that says, "We know more than our doctors."

Doctors Who?

The history of DIY transition offers one path toward what might come after, or in the place of, state-sanctioned care.
On August 8, 2022, activists protest the lack of monkeypox vaccine and treatment access outside the San Francisco Federal Building.

What the AIDS Crisis Can Teach Us About Monkeypox

Harm reduction strategies, like those pioneered by queer men of color, have the best chance of stopping this disease.
Image of a plant within a circular graph.

America’s Lost Crops Rewrite the History of Farming

Our food system could have been so different.
Three men standing along a store sign outside of a drug store, listing the available drugs and tonics for treatment.

The Tragic Case of Poisoning That Finally Got Us Safe Drugs

The elixir had antifreeze, for flavor. Nobody blinked—at first.

The Brutal Legacy of the Longleaf Pine

The carefully-tended longleaf pine forests of North America were plundered by European colonizers. They're still recovering.
Image of "Nature" journal published in 1904

How "Nature" Contributed To Science’s Discriminatory Legacy

We want to acknowledge — and learn from — our history.
An advertisement for Bayer aspirin and heroin.

Treating the (Last) Pandemic

Heroin, Aspirin, and The Spanish Flu.
An eight photo collage of pictures showing the proper way for women to smile

Just Wear Your Smile

Few who encounter Positive Psychology via self-help books and therapy know that its gender politics valorize the nuclear family and heterosexual monogamy.
Black and white photo of a crop duster releasing DDT spray over a forest.
partner

The History of DDT Shows Government Agencies Have Responsibility for Today's Skepticism about Science

Our government institutions, and especially our scientific ones, have a duty to rebuild the public trust that has eroded over the last half century.
Little girl preparing for a polio vaccine.

We Didn't Vanquish Polio. What Does That Mean for Covid-19?

The world is still reeling from the pandemic, but another scourge we thought we’d eliminated has reemerged.
Picture of four men holding a model B-52 plane, in front of backdrop of two aircrafts.

The B-52 Was Designed In A Hotel Room Over One Weekend (And Will Probably Fly For 100 Years)

The B-52’s prolific service career spans not only decades and conflicts, but eras of aviation.
Black and white photo of World War II soldiers pointing at a Malaria poster urging soldiers to keep their skin covered.

How a Malaria Scare at the Start of World War II Gave Rise to the CDC

The Office of Malaria Control in War Areas sought to curb malaria transmission in the United States.
A room full of empty hospital beds.

Modern Medicine Has Improved Our Lives, But What About Our Deaths?

Anthropologists study the hormones in hair to compare the stress levels of people nearing death today with those who died 100 years ago.
Black and white photo of a white woman holding a baby.

Can Every Baby Be A Gerber Baby? A Century of American Baby Contests And Eugenics

In 2018, Gerber selected baby Lucas as the winner of its Spokesbaby Contest, making Lucas the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome.
Drawing depicting Buckminster Fuller in front of a dome

Buckminster Fuller’s Greatest Invention

His vision of a tech-optimized future inspired a generation. But his true talent was for burnishing his own image.
Picture of a man at a bathhouse in the early 20th century.

Asking Gay Men to Be Careful Isn’t Homophobia

Public-health officials don’t need to tiptoe around how monkeypox is currently being transmitted.
An 1878 trademark registration for Miasmine, an ineffective anti-malaria medicine. (Library of Congress)

In the 1880s, D.C.’s Doctors Argued About Malaria and Its Cause

Malaria — literally, if not scientifically, "bad air" — once claimed Washingtonians by the score. So why did some doctors believe it wasn't real?
Black and white photo of people taking fish out of a train car.

Remembering When Fish Rode the Rails

For decades, salmon, catfish, and trout traveled in America's fleet of "Fish Cars."
Photo of two kids, on African American one white, at a computer ca. early 1980s.

Framing the Computer

Before social media communities formed around shared concerns, interests, politics, and identity, print media connected communities.
Illustration of screens, electronics, and sound waves.

The Hidden History of Screen Readers

For decades, blind programmers have been creating the tools their community needs.
Vannevar Bush portrait

The Atlantic Writers Project: Vannevar Bush

A contemporary Atlantic writer reflects on one of the voices from the magazine's archives who helped shape the publication—and the nation.
A flier with profiles of women's faces and the words "Speak-out on abortion."

“I Called Jane” for a Pre-“Roe” Illegal Abortion

No woman should have to go through what I went through, and no woman should have to overcome barriers to obtain a safe abortion.

Why Roller Coaster Loops Aren’t Circular Anymore

Just over 100 years ago, loop-the-loops were painful, not sturdy, and much more dangerous than they are today.