
Mountain chickadee chatter: Scientists are decoding the songbird’s complex calls
I approach a flock of mountain chickadees feasting on pine nuts. A cacophony of sounds, coming from the many different bird species that rely on the Sierra Nevadas diverse pine cone crop, fill the crisp mountain air. The...

Christianity has long revered saints who would be called ‘transgender’ today
Several Republican-led states have restricted transgender rights: Iowa has signed a law removing civil rights protection for transgender people; Wyoming has prohibited state agencies from requiring the use of preferred...

When Pope Leo XIV was elected pope, the assembled crowd reacted with joy but also with surprise: He was the first pope from the United States, and North America more broadly. Moreover, he was the first member of the Order...

Queer country: LGBTQ+ musicians are outside the spotlight as Grand Ole Opry turns 100
On March 15, 1974, the Grand Ole Opry country music radio show closed its run at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, with Johnny and June Carter Cash leading the song Will the Circle Be Unbroken. After that final...

Could a bold anti-poverty experiment from the 1960s inspire a new era in housing justice?
In cities across the U.S., the housing crisis has reached a breaking point. Rents are skyrocketing, homelessness is rising and working-class neighborhoods are threatened by displacement. These challenges might feel...

Not just talk: how dialogue can help address complex problems
Societies around the world are confronted with complex problems that defy resolution by any single actor, even well-resourced governments or corporations. Problems like food security, climate change, or biodiversity loss...