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Science

Best Article Science

The Blind Man Who Taught Himself to See

Daniel Kish is entirely sightless. So how can he ride a bike on busy streets? Go hiking for days alone? By using a technique borrowed from bats.

Michael Finkel Men's Journal May 2012 25min Permalink

Science

The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill

Droplets v. aerosols.

Megan Molteni Wired May 2021 20min Permalink

Best Article Science

The Itch

What the sensation of uncontrollable itch and the phantom limbs of amputees can tell us about how the brain works.

Atul Gawande New Yorker Jun 2008 30min Permalink

Science

Animal Planet

An ambitious new system will track scores of species from space—shedding light, scientists hope, on the lingering mysteries of animal movement.

Sonia Shah The New York Times Magazine Jan 2021 15min Permalink

Science

Gaétan Dugas and the 'AIDS Mary' Myth

The Canadian scapegoat of the AIDS epidemic.

Guy Babineau Xtra West Nov 2007 20min Permalink

Science Health

Covid's Cassandra: The Swift, Complicated Rise of Eric Feigl-Ding

He’s an expert on Twitter virality, but not on infectious disease. Does he do more help or harm?

Jane C. Hu Undark Nov 2020 Permalink

Best Article Science World

The World in Its Extreme

A 17,000-word exploration of the Sahara Desert, the hottest place on Earth.

  1. Part 1

  2. Part 2

  3. Part 3

William Langewiesche The Atlantic Nov 1991 1h10min Permalink

Science

Where Science Enters the Courtroom, the Daubert Name Looms Large

Decades ago, two parents sued a drug company over their newborn’s deformity—and changed courtroom science forever.

Peter Andrey Smith Undark Feb 2020 30min Permalink

Best Article Science

Could Conjoined Twins Share a Mind?

On the shared life of Tatiana and Krista Hogan:

The girls’ doctors believe it is entirely possible that the sensory input that one girl receives could somehow cross that bridge into the brain of the other. One girl drinks, another girl feels it.

Susan Dominus New York Times Magazine May 2011 25min Permalink

Best Article Science

A Few Too Many

On the centuries-long search for the perfect hangover remedy.

Joan Acocella New Yorker May 2008 20min Permalink

Science

Earthquake Conspiracy Theorists Are Wreaking Havoc During Emergencies

Independent “researchers” are sharing unfounded theories across social media, which have the potential to spread panic and confusion—and have even fooled legitimate government agencies.

Anna Merlan Vice Nov 2019 15min Permalink

Crime

The Beating Heart

A tragic crime. A medical breakthrough. A last chance at life.

Gene Weingarten Washington Post Magazine Sep 2019 40min Permalink

Best Article Science World

An Elephant Crackup?

African Elephants have been killing people, raping rhinos, and exhibiting uncharacteristically aggressive behavior. An investigation reveals deep similarities between elephants’ and humans’ reaction to childhood trauma.

Charles Siebert New York Times Magazine Oct 2006 15min Permalink

Best Article Science

The Squid Hunter

An obsessive marine biologist gambles his savings, family, and sanity on a quest to be the first to capture a live giant squid.

David Grann New Yorker May 2004 45min Permalink

Science

The Mystery of People Who Speak Dozens of Languages

What can hyperpolyglots teach the rest of us?

Judith Thurman New Yorker Aug 2018 25min Permalink

Science

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf Scientist?

A pre-eminent expert on large carnivores runs afoul of the enemies of the wolf.

Christopher Solomon New York Times Magazine Jul 2018 25min Permalink

Sports

Double Crossed

The rise and fall of CrossFit’s science crusader.

Stephanie M. Lee Buzzfeed Jun 2018 20min Permalink

Best Article History Tech

Mother Earth Mother Board

A 42,000-word, 3-continent spanning “hacker tourist” account of the laying of the (then) longest wire on earth.

Neal Stephenson Wired Dec 1996 2h45min Permalink

Best Article Science

Home

After the explosion of the Columbia shuttle in 2003, two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station suddenly found themselves with no ride home.

Chris Jones Esquire Jul 2004 Permalink

Science

There's No Scientific Basis for Race

It’s a made-up label.

Elizabeth Kolbert National Geographic Mar 2018 10min Permalink

What Does It Mean to Die?

A 13-year-old girl was declared brain-dead, but her family disagreed. Her case challenges the very nature of existence.

Rachel Aviv The New Yorker Jan 2018 35min Permalink

Science

The Numbers King

The billionaire founder of Renaissance Technologies turns to science.

D.T. Max The New Yorker Dec 2017 35min Permalink

History Science

What Makes Us Happy?

In 1937, Harvard researchers began following the lives of 268 students. Year after year, the men were interviewed and given medical and psychological exams. The goal? Find a formula for happiness.

Joshua Wolf Shenk The Atlantic Jun 2009 45min Permalink

Fiction

Fiction Pick of the Week: "Restoration Ecology"

Science work, youth, and middle aged troubles.

Laura Gibson Sundog Lit May 2017 15min Permalink

Arts Science Food

Death of a Giant

Stalking bluefin tuna, the most valuable wild animal in the world.

John Seabrook Harper's Jun 1994 30min Permalink

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