Carleton Gajdusek won the Nobel Prize for his work on a disease in Papua New Guinea. But his biggest experiment was on the children he took from the field to the US—many of whom he sexually molested, with the knowledge and, in some cases, approval of his professional peers and colleagues: In his journals and […]
Search results
Posted inEditor's Pick
Did Bad Fire Science Send Tim and Deb Nicholls to Prison?
“When he opens the bedroom window, there’s smoke billowing past his head. The next thing he recalls is waking up outside to a nightmare.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Last of Their Kind
“Are efforts to resurrect the northern white rhino more technological hubris than genuine conservation?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
She Was a Quiet Bird Expert. Then She Was Called to Investigate a Murder in Maine.
“How a mild-mannered scientist named Roxie Laybourne created the field of forensic ornithology.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Animals as Chemical Factories
“Horses bled for antivenom, crabs drained for endotoxin tests, and silkworms boiled for silk. Science can now replace these practices with synthetic alternatives — but we need to find ways to scale them.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Happens Once We Spot the Asteroid That Will Hit Earth?
“This year, the alert system for defending the planet against incoming space rocks was activated for the first time. It won’t be the last.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Geoengineering Could Alter Global Climate. Should It?
“Scientists and companies increasingly support blocking some sunlight to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Emi Nietfeld, Brendan Borrell, Boyce Upholt, Fernando Pinho, and Vann R. Newkirk II.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Bright, Built World
“A reflection on how the poets Richard Siken and Anne Carson responded to losing their language.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Quest to Turn Human Waste Into Medicine
“After success in early stage trials, MaaT Pharma is on the verge of becoming the first company to have an approved microbiome-related product for cancer care.”
