From Kenya to Amsterdam to New Jersey, an industry collapses in a matter of weeks.

Millions of human artifacts circle the Earth. Can we clean them up before they cause a disaster?

As divided families argued over whether to stay or go, Jones saw part of his congregation slipping away. Al Simon, father of three, wanted to take his children back to America. "No! No! No!" screamed his wife. Someone whispered to her: "Don't worry, we're going to take care of everything." Indeed, as reporters learned later from survivors, Jones had a plan to plant one or more fake defectors among the departing group, in order to attack them. He told some of his people that the Congressman's plane "will fall out of the sky."

How a tattooed video store clerk with a history of drinking and drug use ended up at an Islamic self-help class leading to the birth of ISIS.

He was a shining star of a tight-knit group of rising Black male models in London. Why did he die at the hands of another model?

"I’m not familiar with books on style. My role in the revival of Strunk’s book was a fluke—just something I took on because I was not doing anything else at the time. It cost me a year out of my life, so little did I know about grammar."

The Branch Davidians today, 20 years after the deadly standoff.

A Southland Tales fanboy goes down the rabbit hole with the movie’s director.

Meeting Christopher Thomas Knight, a.k.a. the North Pond Hermit, who lived alone in the Maine woods for nearly 30 years.

On the conspiracy-theorist occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and how they’re fighting against their own best interests.

Five years after his death, friends, family, and the athletes he covered reflect on the legendary ‘SportsCenter’ anchor and ESPN icon.

How “tissue engineering” will change regenerative medicine.

Discovering why we hurt.

A dispatch from North Carolina.

How order collapsed in an American city.

A profile.

On Taylor Swift’s passive-aggressive lyrics, the life of the writer, and the pain of middle school.

With The Apprentice, Trump rose to a level of popularity with minorities that the GOP could only dream of. Then he torched it all to prepare for a hard-right run at the presidency.

Richard Carr, a retired psychologist who had long dreamed of sailing around the world, was in the middle of the Pacific when he started sending frantic messages that said pirates were boarding his boat. Two thousand miles away in Los Angeles, his family woke up to a nightmare: he might be dying alone, and there was almost nothing they could do about it.

A visit to Glenn Greenwald’s house in Rio.

Why one man made it his mission to kill 60 known sex offenders.

A murder involving the late actor leaves unanswered questions.

An investigation into America’s Greek system.

The U.N.’s role in creating an epidemic in Haiti.

On the casting process for New York’s cult leader-like spin instructors.