Mauricio Drelichman and Hans-Joachim Voth's research into the debt defaults of Philip ll (who ruled an empire including Spain and Sicily from 1556 to 1598) relates to other work on European early modern state finance, including Eugene White's research on surpluses and state borrowing. But Drelichman and Voth's unique contribution to the field is their reconstruction of the earliest extant set of annual fiscal records for any sovereign state, demonstrating in turn that Philip's defaults were caused by short term cash shortages, not long-term unsustainable debts.

Mexican textile artist Victoria Villasana weaves stories of triumph, using her unique method of applying colorful yarn to photographs of people. In some works, Villasana focuses on celebrating cultural icons who are people of color, as she does in her depiction of musician and composer Nina Simone. However, in other works, Villasana honors ordinary people, as she does in her captivating portrayal of a woman making tortillas. Villasana sees both of these approaches as ways of depicting the power and interconnectedness of all people.

Community science involves professional scientists collaborating with members of the public to study a topic. This approach to research can promote community engagement by providing youth with learning experiences outside of the classroom. It’s also very effective because it greatly increases the amount of data that can be collected, such as when biologist Grace Herzel and colleagues studied butterfly wing patterns and their relation to behavior and used findings reported by hundreds of students and community members in northwestern Arkansas.

Companies involved in petroleum extraction include storage facilities among their assets. But petroleum extraction is a very carbon-intensive industry, so as renewable energy becomes more economically competitive, demand for petroleum falls and the storage facilities will eventually, or even suddenly, become liabilities as reduced petroleum prices make it more difficult to recover the expense of maintaining such facilities.

Why do jungle cats purr but lions roar? Researchers hypothesize that this difference between the two feline species may be partly due to a U-shaped bone in their throats called the hyoid. Jungle cats, which are much smaller than lions, have a rigid hyoid that rumbles when the cat’s larynx vibrates, resulting in a purr. By contrast, lions have a somewhat flexible hyoid, and the bone is attached to the skull with a stretchy ligament that jungle cats lack. These traits allow lions and most other species of big cats to produce powerful roars. The same traits may also prevent most big cats from purring.