American Philosophical Society

@amphilsociety.bsky.social

Promoting Useful Knowledge Since 1743 | amphilsoc.org

This summer, we’re joined by three undergraduate interns from the Mellon Foundation’s Native American Scholars Initiative. Meet Gahsëni'de' Hubbel, who is working on a project titled “Asymmetrical Alliances: Friendship, Betrayal, and Belonging in the Cornplanter Archives.”

Claudia Goldin (APS 2015) spoke with Bloomberg about dads, “duds,” and declining birth rates: “Even though a major factor in the decline of fertility is women’s increased agency, the real obstacle is the need for husbands and fathers to demonstrate their commitment..." https://bloom.bg/45wsfNS

Nobel Laureate Goldin Says Male ‘Duds' Are Weighing on Birth Rates

With birth rates around the world hitting record lows, politicians, think tanks and intellectuals have offered no shortage of solutions. They want to strengthen the family, expand child tax credits or provide free universal child care.

bloom.bg

What’s old is new again! Amid the release of the Christopher Nolan adaptation of The Odyssey, Daniel Mendelsohn, author and translator of Homer’s classic, was featured in The New York Times Book Review and its podcast, Private Life, to discuss his translation and the new film. https://bit.ly/44Q0nnJ

Daniel Mendelsohn on the Odyssey, Film Adaptations, and Translation | Daniel Mendelsohn, Jarrett Earnest

In this episode of Private Life, Daniel Mendelsohn joins Jarrett Earnest to discuss his 2025 translation of Homer’s Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s

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“The most important thing is to actually think about what you do. To become aware and actually think about the effect of what you do on the environment and on society. That’s key, and that underlies everything else.” Check back weekly for APS Members' words of wisdom.

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“The main question that guided my research in the Eugenics Record Office (ERO) collection was: How did eugenicists racially classify Latin Americans?” Read Grace Maria Eberhardt’s findings on the APS blog:

“People Making” and Racially Classifying Latin Americans in the Eugenics Record Office 1920s | American Philosophical Society

Image 1: “Peoples By Countries” Numerical List from The Trait Book, pages 86–87.

amphilsoc.org

APS Members Daron Acemoglu, Ben Bernanke, Paul Krugman, and Joseph Stiglitz are among the cosigners of “We Must Act Now,” an open letter calling for policymakers to prepare for oncoming economic transformation caused by AI, as reported in The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/4vx16F2

Nearly 200 Economists and Tech Leaders Warn of A.I. Threats

A letter calls for policymakers to do more to understand and respond to potential disruptions from artificial intelligence.

nyti.ms

“The Knowledge of Nature tends to enlarge the human Mind, and give us more noble, more grand and exalted Ideas of the Author of Nature, and if well pursu’d seldom fails to produce something useful to Man...” Check back weekly for APS Members' words of wisdom.

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We celebrated America’s 250th in a heatwave, but what was the weather like for Philadelphians first hearing about the Declaration of Independence in 1776? Bayard Miller, APS Associate Director of Digital Initiatives & Technology, discussed it with WHYY. https://bit.ly/4ylGEK5

What Philly's Fourth of July heat wave and storms reveal about climate change

Scientists say rising temperatures and intense storms will become more likely because of human-caused climate change.

bit.ly

THE FLY ROOM, the new book from @amphilpress.bsky.social chronicling how experiments with fruit flies in the early 20th century refuted eugenics and proved Darwin was right about evolution, has been featured in @publisherswkly.bsky.social's Fall 2026 preview of science books! https://bit.ly/4wJrDQF

Fall 2026 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: Science

Medical breakthroughs, side effects of AI use, and histories of the natural world feature among this season’s science titles.

publishersweekly.com

Visitors to “These Truths: The Declarations of Independence” are sharing how the Declaration inspires them. Some expressed feelings of patriotism, asserted their belief in equality and kindness, or even their concerns about the future. Others used the platform to share artwork and jokes!

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