One of the most-cited empirical achievements of indigenous peoples is the ability of Polynesians, Melanesians, and Micronesians to navigate their way across vast, unmarked expanses of the Pacific ...

Welcome to a Hump Day (“Il giro di boa della settimana” in Italian): Wednesday, October 28, 2026 and National Chocolate Day . Here are some profiteroles from one of my favorite restaurants in Paris, ...

Nathaniel Comfort is identified by Wikipedia as “an American historian specializing in the history of biology. He is an associate professor in the Institute of the History of Medicine at ...

We are of course lacking readers’ wildlife photos, though I don’t know why. If you have some good ones, please send them in. We do have a batch today, though, sent in by reader Jan ...

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 and National American Beer Day. Here are the 10 top-rated American beers from the reliable Beer Advocate. The rankings are from the top down.

The other day I expressed dismay that NYT writer John McWhorter produced a piece heartily endorsing land acknowledgments (“LA”s). That was out of character for a man who got a lot of attention for his ...

Welcome to Sunday, October 25: the Sabbath for goyische cats and National Greasy Foods Day. Below you see your choice of meat in the back room of Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, Texas, the finest ...

Dogs are used by first responders and the military for a number of tasks.  Their keen sense of smell, speed, and keen hearing give them advantages over even drones or robots, and, according to ...

Welcome to Friday, October 23, 2026, with November coming on fast. And it’s National Mole Day, celebrating not the animal but the unit of measurement. Note that the holiday is time-specific, spanning ...