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A person standing on a pyramid of dried salt, while the rest of the salt flat looks like the surface of a lake

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension.

Lithium extraction in Bolivia poses more than environmental questions: It illustrates how notions about raw materials can be at odds with Indigenous relations with the land.

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension.
Sad looking children at a cafeteria table

Finding Ukraine’s stolen children and bringing perpetrators to justice: lessons from Argentina

Finding Ukraine’s stolen children and bringing perpetrators to justice: lessons from Argentina
portrait of nun reading a musical score

The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who has died at 99

The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who has died at 99
Casual photo of middle-aged Bachrach leaning forward

Burt Bacharach mastered the art of the perfect pop song — and that ain’t easy

Burt Bacharach mastered the art of the perfect pop song — and that ain’t easy
The book includes haunting photos from inside the ghetto, along with its record of the medical effects of starvation.

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies
Bees look for water on an outdoor tap in Berlin, Germany during a hot spell, June 19, 2022.

Bees face many challenges — and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure

Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.

Bees face many challenges — and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure
A small herd of reindeer on a snowy field

Reindeer eyes change color, putting Rudolph’s red nose in the shade, new research says

In winter, light in the northern latitudes is dim and very blue compared to summer light. Reindeer eyes have evolved to be better suited at seeing in this unique environment.

Reindeer eyes change color, putting Rudolph’s red nose in the shade, new research says
A life-size replica of a slave ship graces the Marina Project in Benin.

Benin is building a theme park to remember slavery — is history up for sale?

The Marina Project in Benin could lead to a better understanding of the transatlantic slave trade. But critics say that the commodification of heritage may debase the experiences of painful pasts.

Benin is building a theme park to remember slavery — is history up for sale?
The Supreme Court is deciding a case on whether, and how, universities may consider an applicant’s race when making admissions decisions.

What is affirmative action? Here are 4 essential reads.

Scholars explain what affirmative action is — and isn’t — as well as what its effects are, and why, among others, the military has supported it for decades.

What is affirmative action? Here are 4 essential reads.
Extreme flooding in Pakistan in 2022 affected 33 million people.

Loss and damage: Who is responsible when climate change harms the world’s poorest countries?

That’s the big question coming up at the UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, and it’s controversial. It refers to the economic and physical costs that developing countries are facing from the impacts of climate change.

Loss and damage: Who is responsible when climate change harms the world’s poorest countries?
Image of a rocket being fired by a defense system

A game of numbers: How air defense systems work and why Ukraine is eager for more protection

What will it take for Ukraine to defend against the ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and explosive drones raining down on the country? The question is not so much what as how many.

A game of numbers: How air defense systems work and why Ukraine is eager for more protection
A woman strides down a street in front of Ukrainian yellow and blue banners with the branded slogans on them

With ‘bravery’ as its new brand, Ukraine is turning advertising into a weapon of war

Ukraine is partnering with an advertising company to produce an innovative nation branding campaign during a war. The campaign could have influence beyond how Ukraine and Russia conduct this war.

With ‘bravery’ as its new brand, Ukraine is turning advertising into a weapon of war
Black-and-white photo of two men in outdoor gear standing besides a large harpoon gun on a boat

The Soviet Union once hunted endangered whales to the brink of extinction — but its scientists opposed whaling and secretly tracked its toll

The Soviet Union was a latecomer to industrial whaling, but it slaughtered whales by the thousands once it started and radically under-reported its toll to international monitors.

The Soviet Union once hunted endangered whales to the brink of extinction — but its scientists opposed whaling and secretly tracked its toll
Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

Revealed: Untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service

A double agent who operated for the CIA and the Dutch security service against the Stasi tells his story for the first time.

Revealed: Untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service
China and the U.S. both have big plans for the Moon, but there are a number of reasons why no country could actually claim ownership of any land there.

NASA’s head warned that China may try to claim the moon — two space scholars explain why that’s unlikely to happen

A comment by Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, sparked a strong public response from the Chinese government. But due to legal and practical reasons, no country could take over the moon anytime soon.

NASA’s head warned that China may try to claim the moon — two space scholars explain why that’s unlikely to happen