Know Your Earworm

Susan Rogers on figuring out why you love your favorite songs

Baba Yaga Comes to America

GennaRose Nethercott on folklore, fiction, and hidden family stories

The Music of the Ancients

Christopher King on his quest to uncover the mysteries of Europe’s most enduring folk songs

More Than a Mere Tastemaker

Catherine Wilson brings self-help back to its ancient roots

The Butler Did It

Martin Edwards on the history of mystery

Don’t Forget the Death Workers

Hayley Campbell on the hidden labor after life

When Science Is Not the Answer

Sabine Hossenfelder considers the biggest questions in physics and philosophy

Mob Music

T. J. English on the surprising relationship between two grand American traditions—jazz and organized crime

The Original Influencer

Hilary Hallett on the enduring impact of Hollywood tastemaker Elinor Glyn

Take Two Shots and Call Me in the Morning

Camper English on when alcohol was the cure

Riot Girls

Jessica Hopper shines a spotlight on the too-often-overlooked women of rock history

To the Manor Born

Adrian Tinniswood dissects the myth of the deteriorating British estate

The Industrial Revolution of Bees

Jennie Durant on the vicious cycle involving beekeepers and almond farms

The Geek Squad

A. D. Jameson on how the nerds finally won

Weather Kids and Panther Cubs

Zayd Ayers Dohrn on growing up on the run and in his parents’ revolutionary shadow

For Better or for Wurst

Jamie Loftus on the wild American world of hot dogs

Learn the Ropes of Estate Sailing

Kate Davis gives advice on secondhand scores

Safe From Sin

Peter Jones on what medieval psychology can do for you

Hue and Cry

Kory Stamper on the weird ways we define color

Shotgun Ornithology

James H. McCommons on the first American efforts to save the birds

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