The Most Famous Unknown Artist

… sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
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The Root Cause

… narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
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Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot …

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Asteroid Hunters

… surface until the entire thing flashed red. My colleague sitting next to me held his phone up to film the moment on the livestream that we were feeding to the world. We erupted into cheers as the spacecraft struck.
The goal of this exercise was to demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique called kinetic impact. If …

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Electrons That Bind

… is with “reciprocity, mutualism, and reconciliation with the natural world.” This—along with science—will save us. Hawken does not have kind words for corporate solutions to feeding the world with junk food. Consider this from his chapter on food:
The average Mexican drinks 487 cans of Coca-Cola a year, a number that has …

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Food for Thought

How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food by Vaclav Smil, Viking, 272 pp., $30
Vaclav Smil has some questions, as he often does. Why does one-third of the planet’s food supply end up in the garbage? Why won’t we swear off beef? Which is more important, grains or …

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Something New in the West

… narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
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Lindsey Weber

Feed, 2021, mixed media, 63 x 63 inches. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Weber.)
Feed: Produce, 2021, mixed media, 21 x 21 inches. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Weber.)
Feed: Meat, 2021, mixed media, 21 x 21 inches. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Weber.)
Feed: Fungus, 2021, mixed media, 21 x 21 inches. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Weber …

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The Bears

… to ponder bears in Asturias, two of which, Paca and Moli, live in a preserve an hour’s drive from me and can often be viewed at feeding time. What do I think about bears?
I don’t. Not in any focused way. Instead, I wonder what my mother and I will plan to read …

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Family/History

… narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
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Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to …

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The Epic Viking Saga of the Everyday

… works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
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Download the audio here (right click to “save link as …”)
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