Over many years, even as public confidence in other institutions of American government and society wavered, the Supreme Court managed to maintain high levels of public trust. Today, only seven percent of Americans have high confidence in the court. What are the implications of the collapse of the court’s reputation, and what can the court or anyone else do about it? … Read more »

The diet-heart hypothesis, which cautions against a diet high in fat—and especially saturated fat—has been a cornerstone of dietary guidelines and medical advice for decades. Yet this same period has seen a disturbing rise in type-2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Through careful research and insightful reporting, Teicholz has upended the diet-heart hypothesis in her New York Times bestseller, The Big Fat Surprise. … Read more »

Western Culture, with its advanced technology, arts, and political systems, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of human cultural evolution. But one need not look beyond the calamities of climate change, biodiversity loss, pervasive inequality and other ills of modern society to see the lie in this myth. Wade Davis speaks with authority on indigenous cultures and other ways of being in the world—sustainably and with dignity—recounting along the way remarkable encounters and high adventure, in his trademark mesmerizing presentation style. … Read more »

“Water is the next oil” is an oft-cited trope used to sum up the emerging geopolitical landscape. But the reality is more subtle and far more complex. More than a quarter of the world’s population, 2.2 billion people, lack access to clean water. Global groundwater resources are severely overexploited, some perilously so, and new classes of water contaminants that were once rare are now becoming far too commonplace — rendering even adequate water supplies unfit for human consumption. … Read more »