Ideas

When director Joseph Mankiewicz cast the pioneering Black actor in his first film role in 1950, one of the defining screen stars of the 20th century was born.

A new exhibition shows how the British artist saw humanity’s bestial side.

Americans are reading fewer books. Here’s how to reverse a worrisome trend.

After winning bronze and silver medals in past Olympics, the 37-year-old athlete heads to Beijing amid the challenges of motherhood and the pandemic.

Even dictators have domestic political considerations, and Putin has a long history of using an aggressive foreign policy to bolster his standing in Russia.

The lowly instrument we use for Covid testing gets its name from life on the high seas

Sending music and video over the internet relies on error-correction techniques using abstract geometry.

A behavioral economist answers questions about supporting gender equality at the office and making the college admissions process feel more manageable.

Many researchers are calling for new standards of transparency after files on early Covid patients in China disappeared for over a year.

Professional players are learning from computers how to make their play more unpredictable and harder to beat.

If you slip up on a New Year’s commitment, the technique of ‘chain analysis’ can help identify what went wrong and how to fix it.

Six contemporary artists discuss their plans to address the pandemic and more in 2022.

Once upon a time, human girth was bound by hooks and buttons, and corsets had metal stays. Along came rubber and a whole new technology of flexible cloth.

The CEO of the Gift of Life Donor Program is stepping down after a long career connecting organ donors with patients in need.

Investing in the next generation of nuclear reactors could give the world an important tool for reducing carbon emissions.

To justify his aggression against Ukraine, the Russian president says that NATO once promised not to expand eastward beyond Germany. The historical record shows otherwise.

The popular moniker for a block in Manhattan has become fused with the idea of American songcraft.

There’s no Tom Brady, you can afford Brooklyn and it’s OK to like Jimmy Buffett

Nature creates the most intricate and beautiful ice-crystal shapes, but for speed on the slopes, there’s no beating the manufactured stuff.

If the primary purpose of an office today is no longer to get actual work done, then perhaps it’s better conceived as a place for connection and community. Do we still need desks and cubicles?