Solitary Confinement: Cruel and Unusual
In our continuing exploration of crime and punishment, we take a look at the practice of solitary confinement. To be sure, it has its place in prisons, sometimes for protection of the inmates themselv...
21 Mars 201747min
Southerners Aren’t Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm
There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a stereotype that still somewhat survives today. But this stereotype was rooted in fact. Hookworms, it...
16 Mars 201748min
Pain Scales: Yeeeow!
Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat pain, it helps to quantify it, which is why medicine came up with pain scales. Learn more about your...
14 Mars 201743min
History of the Trail of Tears, Part II
In the second of two parts, what was once a voluntary resettlement program becomes a violent, forced relocation under the leadership of President Andrew Jackson. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...
9 Mars 201742min
History of the Trail of Tears, Part I
In this first of two episodes on the Trail of Tears, learn about the forces that converged to create the series of events that formed the basis of what may be the most brutal decade in American histor...
7 Mars 201752min
How Optical Illusions Work
Now you see it, now you don't — optical illusions can fool us into seeing what's not actually there. But what causes that disconnect between perception and reality? Learn all about this visual tricker...
2 Mars 201740min
How Free Speech Works
Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment doesn't really define free speech, and plenty of expressions are restricted. Learn all about the ins and...
28 Feb 20171h 4min
How Famines Work
It’s common knowledge that famines are usually caused by major droughts: Rain doesn’t fall, crops don’t grow, and people go hungry. But recent research suggests that while weather may trigger famines,...
23 Feb 201750min
