Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here’s how
Natural selection changed just 13 genes to separate your Felix and Fluffy from their African wildcat ancestor.
What Greek mythology teaches us about women’s resistance and rebellion
Female characters in Greek mythology lived under strict patriarchal rules, but they spoke truth to power and resisted injustice.
English dialects make themselves heard in genes
People with a common history – often due to significant geographic or social barriers – often share genetics and language. New research finds that even a dialect can act as a barrier within a group.
How Elvis, Beethoven, Arthur Miller and Kafka Narrated Their Own Lives Through Art
Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of an author, artist, or composer when they create a certain work?
Can Digitizing Gravestones Save History?
An anthropologist is digitizing gravestones at Burial Hill, a historic cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
What Is Anthropological Poetry?
“For me, poetry is the music of being human.” —Carol Ann Duffy ✽ SCRIBBLING IN YOUR field journal, you can feel the sentence snap in two like a branch stepped on—the meaning broken by the grammatical demands of prose. You suddenly find your pen working down the page in a rhythmic fashion, the writing at once […]
A brief history of the Black church’s diversity, and its vital role in American political history
The Black church’s story began in the 15th and 16th centuries, when European empires authorized the capture, auction and enslavement of various peoples from across the coast of Western and Central Africa.
Your Sunday Funnies, from 1926: There’s a Reason Everyone is Being So Darn Nice!
Why is your steno girl suddenly smiling all day and looking at you as if you were Rudolph Valentino…?
Thanksgiving, in Audere Magazine
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and here are a few articles to read on the subject from the pages of Audere Magazine.
Wait, There Were Communists in 1381?
If you think that Communism is a uniquely modern-day “evil,” then think again. It’s been with us for longer than you knew.
The creepy clown emerged from the crass and bawdy circuses of the 19th century
t can be hard to imagine a time when clowns were regularly invited to children’s birthday parties and hospital wards – not to terrorize, but to delight and entertain. For much of the 20th century, this was the standard role of the clown.
Terrifying Dragons Have Long Been Part of Many Religions, and There is a Reason for Their Appeal
Two-legged or four, fire-breathing or shape-shifting, dragons fascinate people across the world. This shouldn’t be surprising.
Fingers of Fear: The Final Episode!
The final episode of Ed. Wheelan’s rare silent film thriller, in which 1920’s detective Hazel Knutt struggles to escape from a gang of kidnappers!
Fingers of Fear, Episodes 19 and 20!
Detective Straight has the feeling that Hazel Knutt might be in grave danger, in the latest episode of Ed Wheelan’s classic comic strip!
The Mysterious Mrs. M: A Movie You Will Never Get to See
Here is what the critics said 125 years ago about the mostly lost film, The Mysterious Mrs. M.
Fingers of Fear: Episodes 17 and 18
In Ed Wheelan’s rare, classic comic strip, detective Hazel Knutt hatches a plot, and Rose Pung plots revenge!
Fingers of Fear: Episodes 15 and 16!
Famous detective Hazel Knutt goes undercover in 1920s Chinatown, in the next installment of this silent film serial that never was!
Fingers of Fear, Episodes 13 and 14!
Silent film detective Hazel Knutt faces a gunfight in Chinatown, as the plot thickens, in Ed Wheelan’s classic comic strip!
Actress Likes Pumpkin Pie
In 1916, Mary MacLaren was poised for a big career in the movies, but she still loved pumpkin pie.
Fingers of Fear, Episodes 11 and 12!
The latest episodes of Ed. Wheelan’s rare silent film thriller, in which detective Hazel Knutt ventures into 1920s Chinatown!
Did Neanderthals Make Art?
Experts continue to debate whether Neanderthals were painters and jewelry-makers. A paleoanthropologist explores the evidence for Neanderthal art and the sources of people’s skepticism.
Monsters are everywhere in the Bible – and some are even human
The Bible is full of monsters, and these characters can convey ideas about what’s considered normal and good, or disturbing and evil.
Your Sunday Funnies: Fingers of Fear, Episodes 5 and 6!
Hazel Knutt, the famous detective, has traveled to California, following an ever expanding trail of mystery, in this silent film thriller from Ed. Wheelan.
Your Sunday Funnies: Ed. Wheelan’s “Fingers of Fear”
Ed. Wheelan’s faux silent film thriller begins with mysterious break-in, a jilted lover and a tough female private detective!
Your Sunday Funnies Presents “Fingers of Fear”!
In 1928, Ed. Whelan presented this faux silent film thriller through his faux motion picture production company.Whelan’s work is hard to find these days, but we think he is due for rediscovery.
The forgotten history of Memorial Day
Two scholars have sifted through the myths and half-truths and uncovered the authentic story of how this holiday came into being.
COMRADES: A Memorial Day Novella
In this novella, a Civil War veteran, who has outlived all his companions, goes forth alone on Memorial Day to decorate their graves.
What to Read on Memorial Day Weekend
In the old days, defending the country was the responsibility of all.
Your Sunday Funnies, from 1927: Introducing Our Film Stars!
In the late 1920s, cartoonist Ed. Wheelan came up with an amazing conceit: create his own fictional silent screen motion picture studio, with a galaxy of fictional film stars, and present his own made-up movies in comic form.
Jeff Schnader: Revisiting Columbia’s Vietnam War Protests In A New Novel
For the Vietnam War generation, the War is still the defining event of their lives; it created a rift between those who fought and supported it and those who protested against it.
The tale of the domesticated horse
The beloved animal has shaped human history over millennia, just as people have influenced its evolution — but only recently have scientists discovered exactly when and where it went from wild to tame
Will We Ever See An End to War?
There is something deep in the human psyche that demands that we fight. So to answer the question as to whether wars will ever end, we need to ask: Is it possible to change human nature itself?
Are Today’s Conflicts a Vestige of Caesar’s Legacy?
Many have argued that today’s wars and anti-democratic impulses can be traced back to the Roman Empire.
The “Floy Floy” Matzah Ball Mystery
Who was blues musician Slim Gaillard, did he really love matzah ballls, and what is a “floy floy”? A mystery explained.
Your Sunday Funnies: “Boots and Her Buddies,” from 1927
A newly enhanced and reimagined comic strip featuring Edgar Martin’s sexy Jazz-Age flapper, from 1927, getting ready for summer.
Why weren’t women allowed to act in Shakespeare’s plays?
The restriction on women actors in England during Shakespeare’s time has long puzzled scholars, mostly because no clear legal statute prohibited it, and women acted professionally in other countries during this period.
Your Sunday Funnies, from 1903: Buster Brown at the Soda Fountain
A trip to the soda fountain, in 1903. What could go wrong?
After Hollywood thwarted Anna May Wong, the actress took matters into her own hands
Hollywood continually stymied her ambitions. And yet out of the ashes of rejection, she persevered, becoming an Australian vaudeville chanteuse, a British theatrical luminary, a B-film pulp diva and an American television celebrity.
Settler colonialism helps explain current events in Xinjiang and Ukraine – and the history of Australia and US, too
Global flashpoints, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Chinese actions in Xinjiang, share a common background: a previous history of invasion and occupation.
Revealing an Ice Age Route for Indigenous Peoples
By Jacqueline Knirnschild This article was originally published at Hakai Magazine and has been republished under Creative Commons. As early as 18,500 years ago, the first peoples in what is today known as the Americas spread south from Beringia, a now-sunken continent between Asia and North America. Inland travel was all but cut off by […]