Francis Galton pioneered scientific advances in many fields – but also founded the racist pseudoscience of eugenics
Smart people can have really bad ideas – like selectively breeding human beings to improve the species. Put into practice, Galton's concept proved discriminatory, damaging, even deadly.
Jan. 15, 2021 • ~9 min
statistics charles-darwin history-of-science forensic-science meteorology prayer fingerprints eugenics on-the-origin-of-species francis-galton forced-sterilization
Peat bogs: restoring them could slow climate change – and revive a forgotten world
The UK's marshes, bogs and fens provided the bare necessities of daily life for many centuries.
Jan. 11, 2021 • ~8 min
climate-change carbon-cycle natural-climate-solutions peatlands peat-bog environmental-history marsh
Why David Attenborough cannot be replaced
Wildlife television as we know it was constructed around Attenborough. Take him away and the whole thing needs to be reinvented.
Jan. 5, 2021 • ~7 min
wildlife wildlife-conservation david-attenborough bbc natural-history wildlife-documentaries
In a time of social and environmental crisis, Aldo Leopold's call for a 'land ethic' is still relevant
Jan. 11 marks the birthday of conservationist Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), who called for thinking about land as a living community to protect, not a resource to exploit.
Jan. 5, 2021 • ~9 min
conservation ethics ecology environmental-justice racism us-history land restoration-ecology environmental-movement wilderness
Ideally, we won’t remember the 2020 holidays
Best case scenario? Our collective memory of the 2020 holiday season will fade quickly. Here's why experts think that's likely.
Dec. 24, 2020 • ~6 min
covid-19 history memory holidays featured society-and-culture
How the Lindbergh baby kidnapping changed media
A new book explores how the kidnapping of baby Charles Lindbergh, Jr., began a media revolution and became the "crime of the century."
Dec. 24, 2020 • ~7 min
history media journalism society-and-culture crimes
How British people weathered exceptionally cold winters
Food shortages, festivities and far-off fighting – Britain's coldest winters were among its most memorable.
Dec. 23, 2020 • ~7 min
winter snow cold-weather weather christmas environmental-history british-history
Kernowite: New mineral found on rock mined in Cornwall
The dark green mineral has been called kernowite as the rock comes from a mine in Cornwall.
Dec. 23, 2020 • ~2 min
geology mining natural-history-museum st-day
Boudicca revolt: Essex dig reveals 'evidence of Roman reprisals'
Archaeologists link the destruction of a "high status" village to the uprising in Roman Britain.
Dec. 20, 2020 • ~2 min
history archaeology braintree cressing
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