Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Animals
August 14, 2023

Adorable Black Bear is Spotted Napping in Abandoned Bald Eagle Nest

Bears are famously big nappers. They hibernate in winter (technically called torpor, a deep sleep), dig into dens, and snuggle into comfy spots nightly. Like cats, they can sometimes find unusual locations to rest. Recently, researchers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) spotted a black bear nestled in a unique place—it was curled up in a massive bald eagle's nest in Alaska. The photos are a precious insight into a big predator.

Read Article

Science
August 12, 2023

30 Million People Today Are Descendants of Passengers on the Mayflower

Are you a descendant of one of the passengers who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower over 400 years ago? Even if you aren't, you've probably met someone who has proudly told you that their ancestors hopped the pond in 1620. Despite being a long-time point of pride—and even class distinction for some New Englanders—the significance is still present in modern-day America.

Read Article

Archeology
August 10, 2023

Ape-Like Hominids Made World’s Oldest Tools 3.3 Million Years Ago, Before Humans Did

Humans often think ourselves different from the animal kingdom, differentiated by our ability to think and create with tools. But in reality, apes, otters, birds, octopuses, and many other animals use tools, too. In fact, beyond not being the only modern creatures to use tools, humans were not event the first. Discoveries of stone tools have shown that early hominids, not “human” members of the later Homo genus, used stone flake tools in daily life.

Read Article

Technology
August 2, 2023

Stanford Students Create AI Glasses That Transcribe Speech in Real-Time for Deaf People

People with hearing loss and deaf people communicate in many ways—sign language, lip reading, hearing aids, etc. However, methods such as hearing aids and cochlear implants can be very expensive to acquire. Meanwhile, signing and lip reading require eyes on the speaker. TranscribeGlass is the answer for “comfortable wearable assistive technology device for d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing, elderly, and other people who want to improve their comprehension of spoken communication using captions.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.