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Earth Food Life Project
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We’re building a guide for everyday life, where experts will educate you about our world.
Author Spotlight
Lauren Collee is a writer and researcher.
Elizabeth Jane Cochrane (1864–1922) was an American journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Nellie Bly. She feigned insanity in order to write an exposé about a mental institution. (Source: Wikisource).
Joseph Lincoln Steffens (1866–1936) was an American investigative journalist. He was one of the leaders of the muckraking writers of the Progressive Era in the early 20th century. (Source: [[wikipedia:Lincoln_Steffens
Aric Sleeper is an independent journalist whose work covers topics including labor, housing, food, and more.
Daniel Klem Jr. is the Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology and director of the Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College.
Bridget A. Lyons is a surfer, writer, editor, teacher, and creative consultant.
Marilyn Kroplick is the president and executive director of <u>In Defense of Animals</u>.
John Dolan is the co-host of the Radio War Nerd podcast. Dolan is an American poet, author, and essayist, and holds a PhD in rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley. As a senior lecturer at the University of Otago, he taught several courses including composition and creative writing, and published the monograph ''Poetic Occasion From Milton to Wordsworth''.
Thea Applebaum Licht is a writer and researcher.
Matthew Ponsford is a London-based journalist and producer who has written for Thomson Reuters, CNN International, Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent and Vice. Follow him on Twitter @mjponsford.
Guides
The New Grand Tour is a modern take on the "old" Grand Tour—a journey through the ancient landscapes of Rome and Greece, the kingdoms of Sumeria, and beyond—once reserved for only the privileged few. Today, the availability of data from the past six million years of human activity through archaeological collections and the accessibility of this data enable anyone to journey through the past.
Globally, our human stories have varied depending on factors such as terrain type, resource availability, and the ecoregion type at a given time and place. However, our collective story is written around the fact that environments shape human culture and, in turn, humans shape their environments.
editorIrina Matuzava
sourceHuman Bridges Project
areaThe Observatory’s '''Guide to Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection''' explores the interconnected challenges facing wild animals and the habitats they depend on. It examines how human activities—such as deforestation, industrial agriculture, wildlife trade, pollution, and climate change—are driving species decline and ecosystem instability. By highlighting the importance of biodiversity, including the role of apex predators, healthy forests, and intact habitats in maintaining ecological balance, the guide connects conservation science with real-world threats and solutions, offering a clear understanding of how protecting wildlife also safeguards human health, prevents future pandemics, and supports resilient ecosystems.
editorReynard Loki
sourceEarth Food Life Project
areaThis guide explores the promise and perils of renewable energy. Can renewable energy achieve the emissions cuts we need to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis? Can we avoid an energy crisis if we abandon fossil fuels? What is the dark truth behind bioenergy? Is hydropower a real or false solution? Is the renewable energy transition succeeding or failing?
editorReynard Loki
sourceEarth Food Life Project
areaAdvertising, marketing, and branding shape far more than what we buy. They influence what captures our attention, how we evaluate products and ideas, and even how we understand ourselves and the world around us. From the psychology of persuasion to the ethics of corporate messaging, these forces are woven into nearly every aspect of modern life.
editorThis guide explores how advertising and marketing work, why certain messages resonate, how brands build trust—or exploit it—and how consumers can better recognize the techniques used to influence their decisions. Along the way, it examines the commercialization of culture, the power of labels and narratives, and the societal consequences of persuasive communication.
Whether you're interested in media, psychology, business, ethics, or simply becoming a more informed consumer, these articles offer a deeper understanding of the systems that shape contemporary consumer culture.Reynard Loki
sourceThe Observatory
areaAs people live longer and face increasingly complex end-of-life decisions, understanding death and dying has never been more important. This guide explores the emerging movement of death literacy, offering practical tools, knowledge, and community resources to help individuals navigate mortality with clarity and confidence. From fostering open conversations about death to exploring near-death experiences and preparing for end-of-life care, these articles provide insights into how we can approach death as a natural, supported, and meaningful part of life.
editorReynard Loki
sourceThe Observatory
areaWe use language every day—from spoken and signed words to written communication and body gestures—but how often do we pause to consider what drives it beneath the surface? Linguistics, the scientific study of language, seeks to answer this question by examining how language is acquired, how it functions, how it changes over time, and how it connects to both human evolution and society. Its insights reach far beyond the classroom, shaping our understanding of education, politics, technology, identity, and culture.
editorThis '''Guide to Linguistics: The Science of Language''' explores how language both shapes and is shaped by our experiences, values, and identities. Through a diverse collection of essays, it invites readers to rethink the language they use and the assumptions they make about others based on how they speak. It also examines the power dynamics embedded in language—how words can reflect, reinforce, or challenge social hierarchies.
As you move through the guide, consider the contexts in which language is used. Ask: Who is speaking? Where, when, and why? These questions open the door to a more nuanced understanding of what language is, how it functions, and how it continues to evolve. Whether you are a student, a lifelong learner, or simply curious about the forces shaping everyday communication, this guide offers a deeper look at the many dimensions of language.Danica Tomber and Madeline VanArsdale
sourceThe Observatory
areaHumans have long used language, writing, and storytelling to make sense of the world—and to shape how it is understood. Writing takes many forms, extending from literature and journalism to scholarship, personal reflection, and everyday communication. Together, language and writing help develop our critical thinking, awareness, and curiosity.
The '''Observatory Guide to Language Arts and Writing''' explores how language and storytelling shape the human mind, foster empathy, and serve as tools for understanding ourselves, connecting with others, imagining new possibilities, solving problems, and questioning the status quo. Drawing on literature, history, psychology, neuroscience, and the social sciences, the guide highlights how writing and narrative shape not only expression, but perception, meaning, and action.
editorDanica Tomber and Madeline VanArsdale
sourceThe Observatory
areaThe Observatory’s '''Guide to Animals in Science and Research''' examines the role of nonhuman animals in scientific experimentation and biomedical development. It explores the ethical, regulatory, and scientific debates surrounding animal testing, including concerns about welfare, transparency, and the limits of animal models in predicting human outcomes. The guide highlights practices involving primates and laboratory animals, as well as growing calls for reform, improved oversight, and the development of alternative research methods. By connecting policy, science, and ethics, it offers a clearer understanding of how animals are used in research—and what a more humane and effective system might look like.
editorReynard Loki
sourceEarth Food Life Project
areaA true republican political system operates without a monarchy or concentrated political power in any office, branch, or individual. And a thriving republic observes the fundamental principles of equality, consensus, transparency, and reform (rather than institutional abandonment). If a republic strays from these values, political collapse can occur. This guide compares past republics, including the Roman and Venetian Republics, to republican states of today. By examining the successes and failures of early republics, we can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges in our current political environment.
editorJohn P. Ruehl
sourceHuman Bridges Project
areaThe '''Guide to Changing How We Relate to Animals''' explores how human perceptions, language, and belief systems shape our treatment of nonhuman life. It examines growing scientific understanding of animal intelligence, emotion, and social complexity, alongside philosophical and cultural frameworks that influence moral consideration. By questioning long-held assumptions about hierarchy, consciousness, and value, the guide highlights how attitudes toward animals are evolving. It also considers how shifts in awareness can lead to changes in behavior, policy, and everyday interactions. Together, these perspectives invite a more expansive, reflective, and ethically grounded relationship with the living world.
editorReynard Loki
sourceEarth Food Life Project
areaNew Additions
Long before modern science warned of global warming, the Founding Fathers believed human activity was reshaping the planet’s climate—and they set out to prove it.
By: Raphael Calel
In Georgian Britain, Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine sparked panic over “beastly” side effects, exposing how new science can collide with old beliefs.
By: Erica X Eisen
As consumers flock to “reef-safe” and “ocean-friendly” skincare, beauty brands are selling a vision of ocean purity that is more marketing-driven than science-based.
By: Kate Petty
Humanity’s evolution into a super predator has reshaped ecosystems and instilled a primal fear in much of the animal kingdom.
By: John Divinagracia
From cancer-resistant mole rats to 200-year-old whales, evolution has equipped long-lived species with unique biological strategies.
By: Leslie Alan Horvitz
From journaling to essay writing, the simple act of writing is one of the most powerful tools for improving clarity, creativity, and critical thinking.
By: Ellen Feld and Reynard Loki
Common sense is contested terrain.
By: Colin Greer and Eric Laursen
Despite significant advances in human-based research, millions of mice and rats are still used in U.S. laboratories each year—at immense ethical and scientific cost.
By: Reynard Loki
At the turn of the 20th century, mathematicians, mystics, and modernists blurred the line between physics and philosophy. Their search for a hidden spatial realm—the so-called “fourth dimension”—transformed art, inspired the occult, and reimagined the very structure of reality.
By: Jon Crabb
Responding to a population seeking practical knowledge and tools, the death literacy movement is filling a much-needed void by offering clarity, comfort, and confidence.
By: Caren Martineau and Sarah Parker Ward
Classics
From Wikipedia:
- “''Woman in the Nineteenth Century'' is a book by American journalist, editor, and women’s rights advocate Margaret Fuller. Originally published in July 1843 in The Dial magazine as ‘The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women,’ it was later expanded and republished in book form in 1845.”
- “The basis for Fuller’s essay is the idea that man will rightfully inherit the earth when he becomes an elevated being, understanding of divine love. There have been periods in time when the world was more awake to this love, but people are sleeping now; however, everyone has the power to become enlightened. Man cannot now find perfection because he is still burdened with selfish desires, but Fuller is optimistic and says that we are on the verge of a new awakening. She claims that in the past man, like Orpheus for Eurydice, has always called out for woman, but soon will come the time when women will call for men, when they will be equals and share divine love.”
By: S. Margaret Fuller
This 1847 memoir was written by prominent activist and writer William Wells Brown to support the abolitionist movement. It chronicles Brown’s cruel treatment as an enslaved man, the horrors that he witnessed, and his multiple escape attempts for freedom.
''Note: This book is part of a historical collection and may include offensive language.''
By: William Wells Brown
The famous novel about government and business corruption in the early 20th century by muckraker author Upton Sinclair.
From Wikisource:
- “''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel written by author and socialist journalist Upton Sinclair. It was written about the corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century. The novel depicts in harsh tones the poverty, absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and hopelessness prevalent among the ‘have-nots,’ which is contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption on the part of the ‘haves.’”
By: Upton Sinclair
This two-volume book is an “exposé about the Standard Oil Company, run at the time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure in American history.” More from Wikipedia:<blockquote>“Originally serialized in nineteen parts in McClure’s magazine, the book is a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large businesses that (in the absence of strong antitrust laws in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries.”
“''The History of the Standard Oil Company'' is credited with hastening the breakup of Standard Oil, which came about in 1911, when the Supreme Court of the United States found the company to be violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.”
“The original book was a two-volume hardcover set. An abridged paperback edition was released later.”</blockquote>By: Ida M. Tarbell