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November/December 2022
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Features
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Consider the Date
Sweet or mellow, the “bread of the desert” has fed humanity and shaped the past for thousands of years. But how will the ancient fruit fare in a changing world?
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Invisible Evidence
Touch something and you leave behind a trace of yourself that can last for centuries. Now scientists are learning to decode those molecular signals, opening a new frontier in the study of the past. But what does it really mean to find that Jack London might have had diabetes? Welcome to the stickiest topic in history
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The Blue That Enchanted the World
Indigo is growing again in South Carolina, revived by artisans and farmers with a modern take on a forgotten history
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Dive Right In
A wild feline in Asia is highly adapted to watery environs that are disappearing. What to do? Plant native rice
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Tribute to a Legend
A devoted fan of the blues artist Mississippi John Hurt returns to the Delta with a mysterious memento from a long ago encounter
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Knowing the Shore
At the border between land and sea, a unique research effort to better understand climate change
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Anselm Kiefer Goes Big. It’ll Be Huge.
The renowned artist spent 30 years building a 200-acre installation in France.
Departments
Discussion
Your feedback on Glen Canyon, Samuel Adams and more
Change Agent
A new permanent exhibition offers proof that popular entertainment can be more than just a diversion
The Humble Warriror
Perhaps no Native American is more admired for military acumen. But is that how Crazy Horse wanted to be remembered?
Renaissance Drama
A seldom seen contemporary of Michelangelo finally gets the spotlight in the U.S.
They Weren't Witches
Three centuries after executing hundreds of women, officials in Catalonia have finally broken the spell
The Fighting Kelleys
Meet the father-daughter duo who helped achieve the most important labor and civil rights reforms of their age
Creative License
Some of the unexpected turns and false starts behind today’s bumper crop
The Ultimate Craftsman
Antonio Stradivari still reigns supreme after more than 300 years
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