Last fall semester, professor Eitan Hersh and a class of undergrads embarked on a mission to understand conservative thought. Here's what happened.

Boston magazine

For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head.

Down East

Downtown was designed to be the center of the region's economy. Even now, its vibrancy remains critical to Boston's resiliency. Yet remote work has drained the lifeblood from the urban center. Many workers don't want to return to the office, and the service- and knowledge-oriented sectors have shrunk their real estate footprints. Hoping against hope that they'll suddenly change their mind is a bad bet. No, to revive Boston, we need to rethink what downtown could be. So here's a completely new vision: Leverage the glut of office space to transform Boston into a high-tech manufacturing hub.

The Boston Globe

What happened to manufacturing in America and the environmental and economic consequences of offshoring — companies’ sending their manufacturing abroad — is a story we think we know. The demise of American production seems inevitable, the result of the rise of globalization and free trade. But now we are learning that the precipitous decline was the result of a steady, concerted, decades-long effort among power brokers to wrest the economy from a worker-dependent model to one in which skilled workers are expendable. Corporate executives sold free trade to policymakers as a way to lower consumer pricing, but the human and political costs of offshoring were high.

New York Times

The cognitive scientist has written stacks of influential books, but his new one is in an unfamiliar genre: memoir. We visited him on Eggemoggin Reach for a porch chat about consciousness, artificial intelligence, farm tools, and Maine as a lifelong refuge. Down East

On October 1, 2015, the container ship El Faro sailed directly into the path of Hurricane Joaquin. When it sank it took the lives of all 33 aboard, including eight New Englanders. Rachel Slade wanted to know what happened and why. You will not soon forget what she found. Yankee Magazine

When the pandemic brought life to a standstill this spring, millions of American small businesses found themselves facing collapse. This is the story of one of them — and of a tight-knit staff navigating calamity, risk, and renewal. Down East

Larry Rohter’s “Into the Amazon” celebrates the exploits of Cândido Rondon, the trailblazing explorer, scientist, statesman and more. New York Times Book Review

In her new book, “Icebound,” the journalist Andrea Pitzer chronicles William Barents’s three attempts to find a mythical northeast passage to Asia. New York Times Book Review

We’ve sacrificed everything—our health, our beautiful parks, and our sanity—for cars. Boston has reached a crisis point. Here’s how we can become a place for people instead. Boston

Pulitzer-nominated author Scott Weidensaul calls Maine “a major bird factory.” His much-anticipated new book explores the mysteries behind birds’ migration routes — and the human-caused disturbances that threaten them. Down East

Maine had been her haven since childhood. Then a virus arrived, and with it a fear of outsiders. Award-winning journalist Rachel Slade recounts her family’s Covid quarantine experience in this thought-provoking essay. Yankee

Inside the decades-long saga of Rhode Island’s landmark skyscraper. Yankee

Forget the rumors—reports of the neighborhood’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Boston

Depressed. Anxious. Stressed. We were all of these things even before the pandemic hit. Now, facing a long winter of isolation and uncertainty, Bostonians are increasingly finding themselves at their breaking point. A special report on the area’s looming mental health crisis—and how to find help if you need it. Boston

At the height of the #MeToo movement, Rockland’s sole female town selectperson accused the town administrator of sexually assaulting her. One and a half years later, it’s still not clear who was the real victim. Boston

In this town, the Boston Redevelopment Authority rules supreme. Accountable only to the mayor, it exerts total control over zoning, planning, and development—an anachronistic concentration of power. As the Menino era draws to a close, it’s time for the agency to go. Boston

To the casual observer, maybe you were the perfect couple—the nubby fabric to each other’s Velcro, the oat milk to her latte, the peanut butter to his jelly. But on the road called adulthood, lots of things lose their magic. That industrial-strength, grape-flavored sugar-goo we ate on sandwiches in kindergarten? Wouldn’t touch it now. Relationships can be like that. Yoga Journal

A neglected pup from the deep South, a grieving Plymouth family, and the fearless rescuers that brought them together: The untold story of Bowser’s incredible journey home. Boston

A new furry friend may seem like the perfect antidote to these isolating times. But how, exactly, your new cat or dog makes it to your door might surprise you. Boston

We’re conditioned to think that aging slows us down, but my experience shows that we might just be revving up for the best years of our lives. Yoga Journal

Snarled traffic. Sky-high rents. And entire neighborhoods that soon may be underwater. Our city planners have steamrolled over communities and failed to build a city that is livable for us all. Is there still a chance to get it right? Boston

His Strega empire serves up larger-than-life Italian fare with casino-infused pomp and glitz. That’s played well with the suburban and sports-star crowds. But now, with the expected April launch of his new glammed-up steakhouse, Strip, Varano is taking his fabulous one-man show straight into the heart of snobtown. Varano thinks he’s ready for Boston. Boston

After years of cutbacks and layoffs, the gas pipelines in Merrimack Valley were an accident waiting to happen. When homes began to explode on one beautiful summer day, this is how one of Massachusetts’ most under-resourced communities came together to save each other.

Description goes hereMargaret Chase Smith was a bipartisan hero — until suddenly she wasn't. Down East.

Rachel Slade on ammonium nitrate, mining in Mozambique, international shipping, and criminal negligence in Lebanon. PREVAIL.

Why are Ghislaine Maxwell, Vladimir Putin, and Elaine Chao so interested in the Arctic? PREVAIL.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, might have tried to leverage her political connections to benefit her family's shipping company. June 7, 2019. The Boston Globe.

The story of a recent duck boat disaster in Missouri began long ago off the coast of Cape Cod. One stormy day in 1942, a US Coast Guard vessel was grounded on one of the countless sandbars near Provincetown. July 24, 2018. The Boston Globe.

Global competition depends on easy shipping. And if shipping companies can't survive in the global economy, who can? May 13, 2018. The Boston Globe.

Young people have the power to dominate U.S. policy, but they’ve been sidelined for years. Will they vote in November? It depends. Medium.

A 24-year-old MIT student has developed wearable tech he can control with his mind. The question is what we’ll do with it. Medium.