Well, we could switch to a san serif, however in typography theory serif fonts are usually better for articles and long passages. The idea is that the serifs create a line for the eye to follow and thus reducing eye-strain.
With limited web-page fonts their isn't exactly a huge selection. I think it would help to track out the serif fonts just a little to give a little bit of breath and lightness to the articles face. Even just a little kerning would make a big difference. Course, web pages don't usually allow for those kind of things.
The san serif fonts are a little bolder and have nicer shapes, however there are a whole score of problems associated san serif fonts. Particular the simularities between many characters such as an apostrophe and a single quote, or the capital "I" and the lower-case "l." Those kind of things can cause a reader to pause significantly, and thus increase eye-strain.
So yes, there has been some thought that has gone into the serif versus san serif issue. And arguements can be made on both sides. Foe me I have an easier time reading the serif fonts when place in a long passage. My eyes tend to glaze over when I hit a long passage of san serif text like this one.
