Features
The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard
How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”
The Korean Nuclear Crisis
As the United States was preparing to launch a war to counter Saddam Hussein's chemical and biological weapons ambitions, a far greater disaster...
First and 100
Football, a century ago, was an unruly, dangerous, and wildly exciting spectacle. It resembled rugby: minimal protective gear, no forward...
Ibn al-Haytham
One of the most distinguished and prolific mathematicians in the medieval tradition of Arabic Islamic science, al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham...
An entomologist at work on the Encyclopedia of Life
In the Dominican Republic, a project to write the first chapter in the encyclopedia of life
Doubts about Democracy
A vibrant democracy depends upon important foundations: adequate socioeconomic conditions, elite commitment, some consensus within the society...
A Dictator's Crippling Debts
Under Saddam Hussein's rule, Iraq amassed about $100 billion in debt. This estimate is rough, and it will be months before the details about...
At Large on the Blue Frontier
Science is like fishing. Patience, perseverance, and skill are part of it. Luck also plays a large role. But finding the right location often...
Henry Francis du Pont
"I have not wandered very far afield," wrote Henry Francis du Pont, A.B. 1903, in his fiftieth reunion report. With characteristic...
Who Built the Pyramids?
Not slaves. Archaeologist Mark Lehner, digging deeper, discovers a city of privileged workers.
Families on the Edge
Humberto started to pace back and forth across the floor of the cinder-block home, cradling his son in his arms. There had to be a story. In...