Subtopics

Infectious disease in the twentieth century

By Jonathan Sperber

In the first half of the century, the three great killers among endemic diseases—smallpox, malaria, and tuberculosis—raging around the world (we think today of malaria as a tropical malady but in the 1920s there were outbreaks as far north as Siberia) were each responsible for more deaths than the 80 million who died in both world wars. Innovations stemming from the Second World War, an immense hothouse of technological progress, made it possible to contemplate combatting infectious disease on a global scale.

Can you itch an itch?

By Edwin L. Battistella

Reading Dan Chaon’s novel Sleepwalk last summer, I noticed his use of the verb itch to mean scratch.

What do we know about the effect of gut microbiome in diet and exercise on brain health?

By Noah Koblinsky, Krista Power, Laura Middleton, Guylaine Ferland, and Nicole Anderson

The gastrointestinal tract is one of the most densely populated microbial habitats on earth, containing more cells than those that make up the human body and 150 times the number of genes than exist within the human genome. An unhealthy gut environment is characterized by a reduction in the diversity of bacteria, leading to gut barrier permeability and the release of endotoxins into the blood stream that negatively impacts the brain.

Social media at a glance: for academics

By Cassie Ammerman

There are dozens of social media platforms, each with a distinct personality and purpose, so it can be difficult to know which social media platforms are the most useful for academics to engage with. That’s why we’ve put together this how-to guide to help you decide which social media platforms are the best fit for […]

The cost of crises on human rights

By Stephen P Marks, Meghna Abraham, Martin Scheinin, and Lavanya Rajamani

With crises such as climate change and pandemics permanently on our minds, it seems a pertinent time to reflect on how these challenges impact on human rights. Specifically, it is essential to think about whether the way we are governed through these challenging times impacts on human rights.

Domestic violence: deconstructing the “gender paradigm”

By John Hamel and Brenda Russell

Most people—and not just the average citizen but, sadly, most policy makers and other stakeholders—hold mistaken and distorted beliefs about intimate partner violence (IPV). This is what some call the “gender paradigm.”

A Winter Breviary: Q&A with poet Rebecca Gayle Howell

By Rebecca Gayle Howell

A Winter Breviary is a triptych of carols that tells the story of a person walking in the woods on solstice night. This pilgrim—she, he, they—searches for hope, the hope they cannot name, or hear or see. And still, they walk deeper and deeper into the dark.

 Skin-deep: wrinkle, pimple, and mole

By Anatoly Liberman

The history of “dude” has been documented with amazing accuracy.

Nine literary New Year’s resolutions

Do you need some inspiration for your New Year’s resolutions? If you’re in a resolution rut and feeling some of that winter gloom, then you’re not alone. To help you on your way to an exciting start to 2017, we’ve enlisted the help of some of history’s greatest literary and philosophical figures–on their own resolutions, and inspiring thoughts for the New Year.

What’s next for China? Sustainability, technology, and the world’s future

By Scott M. Moore

We must re-envision our thinking about China’s rise and its role in the world in terms of two newer issue areas, sustainability and emerging technology.

The predictably grievous harms of Effective Altruism

By Alice Crary, Lori Gruen, and Carol J. Adams

Over the past decade the philanthropic ideology of Effective Altruism has grown massively both in attracting funds and in influencing young people to try to make as much money as they can and give most of it away. But a series of catastrophic financial hustles in the world of cryptocurrency has brought EA heightened attention and started to expose its dangers.

Funny how it ain’t so funny: casting, Funny Girl, and Broadway’s body issues

By Ryan Donovan

Sometimes the meeting of an actor and a role produces a rare kind of alchemy that forever bonds the two… and sometimes the opposite happens. The former occurred when twenty-one-year-old Barbra Streisand was cast as famed comedienne Fanny Brice in the 1964 musical Funny Girl.

Leonardo and the Salvator Mundi: fame and infamy

By Margaret Dalivalle

When people ask me about the Salvator Mundi, just like Google, I can predict the questions they will “also ask.”

The history of Ancient Rome: a timeline

By James Lacey

From Octavian’s victory at Actium to its traditional endpoint in the West, the Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—one-fifth of all recorded history. Embark on your own journey through the past with this informative timeline detailing major events within the Roman Empire.

Dude: a long history of a short word

By Anatoly Liberman

The history of “dude” has been documented with amazing accuracy.

Weird Moby-Dick

By Hester Blum

There are a lot of peculiar phrases in Moby-Dick. My new introduction to the second Oxford World’s Classics edition of Herman Melville’s novel highlights the startling weirdness of the book, both in its literary form and its language.