The Egg Thief
For decades, Jeffrey Lendrum went to extreme lengths to snatch falcon eggs from their nests and sell them to the highest bidder. Then he got caught.
Science
The Mysterious Life (and Death) of Africa’s Oldest Trees
On the plight of the baobab tree.
The Infiltrator
How an undercover oil industry mercenary tricked pipeline opponents into believing he was one of them.
Never Let Go
On being the parent of a micro preemie.
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Part One: Lost and Found
A daughter is born, four months too soon.
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Part Two: The Zero Zone
Juniper’s first few weeks.
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Part Three: Baby's Breath
Miracles, in little pieces.
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.
The World in Its Extreme
A 17,000-word exploration of the Sahara Desert, the hottest place on Earth.
The Genius Neuroscientist Who Might Hold the Key to True AI
Karl Friston’s free energy principle might be the most all-encompassing idea since Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
The Insect Apocalypse Is Here
What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?
Life on a Shrinking Planet
With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable.
Before There Was a Spark, There Was the Wind
Here’s how a tiny brush fire became California’s deadliest wildfire.
The Really Big One
A giant earthquake is coming to the Northwest. Unfortunately, no one knows when.
Herschel, the Very Hungry Sea Lion
It’s dangerous to blame the decline of one species on a single predator. We humans like to do it anyway.
What if the Placebo Effect Isn’t a Trick?
New research is zeroing in on a biochemical basis for the placebo effect — possibly opening a Pandora’s box for Western medicine.
The Big Meltdown
A report from Antartica, where the ecosystem is changing so fast scientists have no idea what will come next.
Half-Life
Chad Walde believed in his work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Then he got a rare brain cancer linked to radiation, and the government denied it had any responsibility.
The Pentagon’s Push to Program Soldiers’ Brains
The military wants future super-soldiers to control robots with their thoughts.
Searching for Nothing
What if everything we know about dark matter is totally wrong?
John Urschel Goes Pro
How a professional football player became a top-flight mathematician.
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.
The Great Mortality
On plagues, parasitic mind control, and magical thinking.
Man-Eaters
A quest for tigers in India.
What Termites Can Teach Us
Put a few termites into a petri dish and they wander around aimlessly; put in forty and they start stampeding around the dish’s perimeter like a herd. But put enough termites together, in the right conditions, and they will build you a cathedral.
The Country's First Climate Change Casualties?
Scientists predict Tangier Island could be uninhabitable within 25 years. This is the story of the people willing to go down with it.
What Happens If We Hit Sperm Count Zero?
Men have become increasingly infertile, so much so that within a generation they may lose the ability to reproduce entirely.
Invasive Reptiles Are Taking Over Florida—and Devouring Its Birds Along the Way
Birds like Roseate Spoonbills and Burrowing Owls are ending up in the stomachs of hungry pythons and nile monitors. Is it too late to stop them?
