Cultural anthropology
The language apocalypse is coming, and many tongues are already all but dead
Humans speak 6,000 languages, but half of them will disappear within the next 50 years. Even today, some ancient tongues have only one remaining speaker. The new PBS film, “Language Matters,” looks at the languages that are struggling to survive.
If We Had a Billion Dollars, We’d Buy Unicorns and Trips to Space
This week, the Powerball reached $550 million, the highest it’s ever been. And last night, two lucky ticket holders – in Missouri and Arizona – won the jackpot. But how does one even begin to spend $550 million? The Barenaked Ladies came up with a pretty good list of what they’d buy if they had […]
Jill Lepore on the End of It All
When does life begin? When does it end? In the political climate of the 21st century, as candidates spar over abortion and death panels, everyone seems to have a different opinion. History tells a different story. The answer to life’s questions used to be easy. Early Americans imagined their lives to be ruled by destiny, […]
