Sherd of the Geometric period. Sifnos, 8th century BC. Archaeological Museum of Sifnos (in Kastro).

Complexity in Simplicity: The Three Technologies Behind Ceramics

More than two thousand years ago, the Mayans of eastern Guatemala used ceramic teapots to pour themselves hot ...
Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs and the American City

Jane Jacobs, who would have been 100 today and is the focus of the Google Doodle , was a big part of why cities like New York City and Toronto look and feel
A happy newly wed couple in the 1950's.

When Marriage Was Part of The College Curriculum

Marriage education, seeking to teach dating and marriage on campus, was a reaction to urbanization, industrialization, and the new autonomy of the young.
Happy emojis

The Equation for Happiness

Is there an equation for happiness? And if so, can science really define it?
Picture of Gunnery Camp, the first organized American summer camp, 1861

Summer Camp Has Always Been About Escaping Modern Life

The first summer camps presented themselves as an natural alternative to encroaching industrial society.
Anger during protest David Shankbone Interrupting

Man, Interrupting

Do men interrupt more than women? Why? A look at the research on gender and interrupting.
Neanderthals

We Didn’t Start the Fire (Neanderthals Did)

Fire was once thought to be a strictly human technology, but new discoveries show that Neanderthals could wield it.
Amy Carter and Jimmy Carter participate in a speed reading course at the White House, February 22, 1977.

Speed Reading and Comprehension

Does "speed reading" always decrease comprehension? 
University of Pennsylvania students locate books on the stacks at the new Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library in 1962. (Photo by Authenticated News/Archive Photos)

Do Libraries Still Matter?

With the rise of digital search tools, is there a future for big buildings filled with books and journals? Respondents to an Ithaka S + R survey say yes.
In this April 16, 2015, photo, Carla Hayden, CEO of the Pratt Library, gives a tour of the library's central branch in Baltimore. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, has nominated Hayden, the longtime head of Baltimore’s library system, as the next Librarian of Congress. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun via AP) WASHINGTON EXAMINER OUT

Carla Hayden: Librarian of Congress

Carla Hayden has a history of social justice work in public libraries.