On opening night of Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, audiences were presented with a production that both honored and challenged one of opera’s most beloved works. As a first time viewer of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece, the experience was both emotionally powerful and intellectually intriguing. The evening offered the sweeping music and tragic...
Legend had it that ravens followed wolves to fresh kills. A tracking study reveals a much more interesting scavenging strategy. Do ravens follow wolves to feed on their kills? For decades, biologists assumed they did. Ravens are often seen flying with wolves, following their tracks, or gathering quickly at fresh carcasses A twist in the tale: New...
Did you cry during “Hamnet”? On social media, many viewers shared the overwhelming emotions elicited by the film, which has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. One viewer commented on Reddit that the movie was an “out of body experience.” Another posted on X that it left them “covered in tears” and “ugly crying the...
Social media users are more likely to watch TV programs that are endorsed by members of their political party, a recent study suggests. However, individuals’ racial identity and their perceptions of racial and political ingroup norms and the demographics of a program’s intended audience also play roles in their decisions. Stewart Coles, a professor of communication at...
In Zimbabwe, hunhu is a cultural belief system that instructs us to embrace our neighbours, honour our elders and respect each other’s rights. Also known as ubuntu, it’s a way of being that resonates with southern Africa’s interconnected but diverse communities, where generational wisdom and values are passed from elders to the young. Hunhu is...
Colonialism has been a central part of history around the world, differing only in form over time and space. After all, whenever people have moved from one place to another, they have colonised spaces and other people or forms of life. In Africa, colonialism has mostly been studied as something imposed from outside, for example...
Thinking about certain types of alcohol can alter your mood and trigger certain mindsets, especially among young consumers. For instance, tequila calls up a party mindset, whiskey activates a masculine mindset, and wine primes a sophistication mindset. Those are the key takeaways of a new study my team and I published in the journal Young...
For the sharpest minds in show business, there’s always another hustle. Take Joe Exotic, whose 2020 conviction for a murder-for-hire plot and violations of the Endangered Species Act hasn’t kept the eccentric tiger trainer out of the headlines. Since beginning his 21-year sentence, the “Tiger King” star has started a cannabis brand, hawked digital art...
A chance encounter off the coast of Malibu set artist Thomas Houseago on a mystical path ‘There was a whole mystical thing that occurred,’ Thomas Houseago says, when we speak ahead of his solo show at Xavier Hufkens gallery. He is talking about a serendipitous, maybe even ordained, series of events that led to Cosmic Snail (Shell Temple) (2025), his immersive...
To address persistent concerns about harassment, boundary violation and user safety in digital dating spaces, a research team led by the University of Waterloo has launched an interactive Safety Map to coincide with International Women’s Day. Hundreds of millions of people use dating apps worldwide, with younger adults aged 18 to 34 being the most active users. In Canada, for example, roughly one in three people report having used a dating app, with 47 per cent of users identifying as women, underscoring...
