How the Microscope Redefined the Fact
By making images, not words, the most reliable source of information, the device changed what it means to know: An Object Lesson.
Object Lessons
Articles published in partnership with Object Lessons
When the Coffee Machine Is Just a Human
How pour-over takes the automation out of the brewing process: An Object Lesson
The Wire Hanger's Flexible Symbolism
Its design hasn’t changed much over its short history, but its meaning has: An Object Lesson
Ten Thousand Years of the Mortar and Pestle
The culinary tools still look more or less the same as they did in their earliest days: an Object Lesson.
The Butterflies’ Great Migration
Each year, a new generation of Monarchs flies south for the winter—but habitat loss is making the journey harder. An Object Lesson.
Encyclopedias Are Time Capsules
How collections of knowledge remain useful even after they’re outdated: An Object Lesson
How the Remote Control Rewired the Home
Since the 1920s, it’s been changing channels and changing lives, including yours. An Object Lesson.
Dust, the Ledger of Past Existence
From which we came and to which we shall return, an Object Lesson
The McRib: Enjoy Your Symptom
How McDonald’s strange, seasonal sandwich explains the rest of its menu
How Glass Magnifies Desire
We no longer just look through glass; we also want it to peer into us.