Animals’ color tells us where they belong in a classification scheme and plays a role in the ecology and behavior of insects, reptiles, and amphibians. It also can reflect changes in diet, adaptations of body temperature, and immunological responses. Biologist Kay Etheridge gives visual examples of color in these roles and discusses the challenges of naturalistic representation from medieval through modern times.

Gothic literature and the fairy tale are much more closely related than one might expect. While it’s common to think of fairy tales as frothy, simple stories for children, they can be profoundly uncanny, spectral, even transgressive—all words linked to the Gothic. Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman explore the connection between these two seemingly disparate literary modes.

Washington is known for its vibrant arts and culture scene, and theater is set to be especially exciting in the 2023–2024 season. Join Amy Austin, president and CEO of Theatre Washington, and a panel of experts as they explore why D.C. is considered one of the best theater towns in the country. This robust conversation offers particular insights on women in DC-area theater, new work, underrepresented communities, and the highlights that are in store on local stages large and small.

Nothing brings a family together like food. Join Lidia Bastianich in conversation with Mary Beth Albright, correspondent and editor at The Washington Post, as she talks about the stories and passed-down recipes in her new cookbook, Lidia’s From Our Family Table to Yours, as well as how food has shaped her family memories.

It seems popular these days to claim that free will is an illusion—that our brains or our genes or even just the laws of physics determine our actions. Neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that these claims are hollow and traces the role evolution has played in the development of free will.

Between the 6th and 11th centuries, Arabic was the native language of most of the Jewish population. Focusing on the writings of central thinkers and scholars during this critical era of Rabbinic Judaism, Miriam Goldstein of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examines the sweeping linguistic and cultural transformations in Judeo-Arabic religious scholarship that shaped Judaism as we know it today.

When a bridge spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay was proposed in the 1910s, some people called it “the bridge that couldn’t be built.” The Golden Gate Bridge was both a milestone of engineering and a monumental example of Art Deco architecture when completed in 1937. Historian John Martini discusses the design challenges, construction, and operational history of San Francisco's most famous landmark.