Thank the Babylonians, Not Pythagoras, for Trigonometry
Most every kid learns a² + b² = c² in math. Pythagoras, right? Wrong. Babylonians used trigonometry 1,000 years before the Greeks. Time to rewrite history?
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Touring Trinity, the Birthplace of Nuclear Dread
A recent visit to the site of the first atomic bomb explosion offered desert vistas, (mildly) radioactive pebbles and troubling reflections.
Scientists Discover Machu Picchu Could Be at Least Two Decades Older Than Thought
Scientists Discover Machu Picchu Could Be at Least Two Decades Older Than Thought
A team of investigators used enhanced carbon dating methods to examine human remains from the site in Peru.
A Giant Chalk Figure Is Finally Starting to Make Some Sense
And we have snails to thank for that.
A New History Changes the Balance of Power Between Ethiopia and Medieval Europe
For centuries, a Eurocentric worldview disregarded the knowledge and strength of the African empire.
Vaccine Hesitancy is Nothing New. Here's the Damage It's Done over Centuries
Humans Have Been Sharing Food With Animals for Centuries. Why Is That?
Researchers want to learn more about the connections between humans and the feeding of birds, beasts and other fauna.
Studying History Should Not Be Only for the Elite, Say Academics
As two UK universities cut their courses, historians fear others could follow.
Building the Last Mile: A Plan for Bringing the Expanding Universe of Digital Primary Sources into Classrooms
Building the Last Mile: A Plan for Bringing the Expanding Universe of Digital Primary Sources into Classrooms
Getting digitized primary source materials into the classroom requires an open dialogue among researchers, teachers, and archivists. A workshop from historians of business shows how.
New Technique Reveals Centuries of Secrets in Locked Letters
M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures.
What Darwin's 'Descent of Man' Got Wrong on Sex and Race - and Why It Matters
The authors of a book marking the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "Descent of Man" discuss "a most interesting problem" - namely how the naturalist's fundamental misconceptions on sex and race still shape society.
Vaccine Scepticism is As Old As Vaccines Themselves. Here's How to Tackle It
Vaccine Scepticism is As Old As Vaccines Themselves. Here's How to Tackle It
A joined-up approach is needed to make sure the public are given clear, correct information, says healthcare historian Sally Frampton
Dramatic Discovery Links Stonehenge to Its Original Site
Find backs theory that bluestones first stood at Waun Mawn before being dragged 140 miles to Wiltshire.
Historians in Historic Times
Will history judge? Reflections from historians about the intense relationship of past and present.
Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet Earth
It Spied on Soviet Atomic Bombs. Now It's Solving Ecological Mysteries.
It Spied on Soviet Atomic Bombs. Now It's Solving Ecological Mysteries.
Research Explains How People Act in Pandemics - Selfishly, but Often with Surprising Altruism
Research Explains How People Act in Pandemics - Selfishly, but Often with Surprising Altruism
Vaccines - Lessons from Three Centuries of Protest
Immunization has always been a proxy for wider fears about social control, a history reminds us.
Dinosaurs Wiped out by Asteroid, Not Volcanoes, Researchers Say
Study says surge in volcanic activity could not have caused Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event.
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain
For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithonian Institution has launched a new open access platform high-resolution images from across its collections for patrons to peruse and download free of charge.
Growing into Teaching Career Diversity for Historians
Growing into Teaching Career Diversity for Historians
Students should actively consider and prepare for the work they are personally most suited to, whether within or beyond the academy.
Science Institutions for a Complex, Fast-Paced World
The post-World War II model for organizing science remains powerful, but moving beyond its limits will be necessary for assuring the contributions of science to solving a wide array of challenges.
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