Features
One Man’s Fight Against His Diabetes Destiny
Men’s Health (Nov. ’24)
After my dad developed diabetes, I discovered the disease could come for me, too. So I set out to see if science could help me change my fate.
If They Build It, Will You Come?
Outside (Sept. ’24)
Culdesac, a new real estate developer, wants to bring carless living to a neighborhood near you.
This Man Knows the Truth About Amelia Earhart. Why Doesn’t Anyone Believe Him?
Popular Mechanics (Aug. ’24)
Piecing together Earhart’s final moments was hard enough. For Ric Gillespie, convincing the world he’s right has been much tougher.
There Will Be Blood
Science (Jul. ’24)
Is mimicking the cells that carry hemoglobin the key to a blood substitute? Inside Allan Doctor’s quest to generate artificial blood.
(Listen to the Science podcast where I talk about the future of fake blood.)
This Feather Could Save Your Life
Washingtonian (Jun. ’24)
Meet the elite team of avian detectives who identify the remains of birds that collide with airplanes — the better to prevent future catastrophes.
Meet the DC Activist Behind the Alt-Meat Revolution
Washingtonian (Feb. ’24)
Bruce Friedrich, once known for some of the animal-rights movement’s most notorious stunts, is now working to win over meat-eaters one (artificial) bite at a time.
Confronting the Bananapocalypse
Bloomberg Businessweek (Dec. ’23)
A deadly fungus threatens to wipe out the Cavendish banana, whose best hope may be genetic modification.
Is De-Extinction Only a Pipette Dream? This Startup Has a Big, Expensive Plan to Find Out
Popular Science (Oct. ’23)
Colossal Biosciences is promising to resurrect wooly mammoths, thylacines, and dodos. But what happens we we venture-fund the natural world?
A Radical New Space Metal Could Transform Everything—from Electric Vehicles to Nuclear Submarines
Popular Mechanics (Aug. ’23)
Tetrataenite, a metal found only in meteorites, can now be made on earth.
If Loneliness Is an Epidemic, How Do We Treat It?
The New York Times (Jul. ’23)
One-fifth of adult Americans say they often or always feel lonely. To repair the lonely mind, it’s time to consider new treatments.
On the Hunt for America’s Forgotten Apples
Outside (May ’23)
Apples no one has ever tasted are still out in the wild. Dave Benscoter, a retired FBI agent, has spent a decade searching for these 100-year-old heirlooms.
What Does Wellness Mean When You’re Living With an Incurable Disease?
GQ (Feb. ’23)
I’ve written about health and nutrition for years. But when I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, staying healthy took on a new meaning.
(Included in the 2/19/23 edition of The Sunday Long Read newsletter.)
Misfits Goes Mainstream
Bloomberg Businessweek (Dec. ’22)
The online grocer Misfits Market specializes in unwanted produce — and hopes that scaling up sales can help cut down on food waste.
Inside the World of Extreme Pogo
Popular Science (Aug. ’22)
Atop a new generation of souped-up sticks, these daredevils want to do for pogo what legends like Tony Hawk did for skateboarding.
The World’s Deadliest Dam Failure Was Covered Up
Popular Mechanics (Aug. ’22)
The collapse of the Banqiao Dam in China was kept quite for decades, despite more than 85,000 deaths.
Can this MIT metallurgist clean up copper production?
Popular Science (May ’22)
Purifying all the copper we need to funnel electricity through everything from vehicles to wind turbines is dirty business.
Can Idaho’s newest cobalt mine dig responsibly?
Popular Science (May ’22)
Idaho’s cobalt hotspot is welcoming its first new mining outfit in 40 years. Can it dig up the essential metal without leaving a trace?
What Happens When Men Take Hormonal Birth Control?
Cosmopolitan (Feb. ’22)
No one gets pregnant. Also, the sex is pretty f*cking good. A look inside the most promising medical trial yet for male contraception.
(Listen to the Apple News Today podcast where I talk about the future of birth control for dudes.)
The $20 Million Bioengineering Gambit to Save the Northern White Rhino
Popular Mechanics (cover story) (Nov/Dec ’21)
We have the science and technology to bring animals back from extinction. But should we use it?
The Dinosaur Cowboy’s Long Ride
Bloomberg Businessweek (Sept. ’21)
The market for dinosaur bones is booming. Paleontologists aren’t thrilled, but for Clayton Phipps and other ranchers, it’s a living.
(Included in the 9/26/21 edition of The Sunday Long Read newsletter.)
Finally, a Shot to Prevent Lyme Disease Could Be on Its Way
Outside (Aug. ’21)
Lyme-carrying ticks are a bigger threat than ever. A promising new antibody treatment looks to stop infection — even after a tick bite.
(Listen to The New Republic podcast where I talk about the article and Lyme PrEP, the new antibody shot that might stop infection.)
The Fatal Engineering Flaw Behind the Deadliest Building Collapse in U.S. History
Popular Mechanics (Aug. ’21)
The 1981 collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City killed 114 people.
This California company wants to make modern AC obsolete
Popular Science (July ’21)
Nanoscience dusts off a quirk of physics to optimize air conditioning. Can it help save the planet too?
The Godfather of Pollution
New Scientist (May ’21)
Excess nitrogen in the environment is choking out aquatic life, dirtying our air, and chewing through the ozone.
Rivers of Dreams
MIT Technology Review (May ’21)
America’s aging sewers need $1 trillion in repairs, but officials in South Bend, Indiana, have a plan to make them smarter.
The Doctor Will Zoom You Now
MIT News (Mar. ’21)
Doctors and patients have been wary of remote visits. Then Covid-19 happened. Is telemedicine here to stay?
When Men Find Out They Can’t Have Biological Children
Elemental (Dec. ’20)
There’s still a lack of openness, and even awareness, when it comes to men and infertility struggles.
Inside the Ultimate Bee Sting
Popular Science (Oct. ’20)
Ride along with Rowdy Freeman, the sheriff who hunts honeybee thieves.
The Predatory Scam of Memory Supplements
Elemental (Oct. ’20)
What the federal lawsuit against Prevagen says about the American supplement industry
One Man’s Quest to Infect People With Covid-19 for Science
Elemental (Jul. ’20)
Inside the movement to launch a human challenge trial for coronavirus.
Kandy-Kolored, Streamlined, And Definitely Around The Bend
Popular Science (May ’20)
Pinewood derby racing and the dads who just can’t get enough.
So When Will a COVID-19 Vaccine Be Available?
Popular Mechanics (Apr. ’20)
Inside one lab that’s racing the clock to eradicate the coronavirus pandemic.
How to Ride Out the Coronavirus Pandemic
Popular Mechanics (Mar. ’20)
Expert disaster preppers on what to learn, what to buy, and what to prioritize as COVID-19 spreads worldwide.
The Future of Housing May Be $2,000 Dorm Rooms for Grownups
OneZero (Feb. ’20)
San Francisco-based Starcity thinks co-living is the best way to create affordable housing in the most expensive state in the U.S. Some have doubts.
Moon Shot
Grist (Jan. ’20)
To give animal-based protein a run for its money, plant-based and lab-grown ‘meats’ will need help from a surprising place.
The Unequal Burden of Urban Lead
CityLab (Jan. ’20)
Decades after federal regulations banned the use of lead in paint and plumbing, the effects continue to be felt across America’s cities.
Meet the Wounded Veteran Who Got a Penis Transplant
MIT Technology Review (Nov. ’19)
He nearly lost it all to an IED blast in Afghanistan. But a pioneering procedure changed everything.
The Scam of Deadly Fitness Supplements
Elemental (Oct. ’19)
Supplement makers may be headed for jail due to deaths among men and women using their pills. But will anything change?
Why are RVs so poorly made?
Curbed (Sept. ’19)
Disgruntled owners find there’s only one rule when it comes to recreational vehicles: Don’t buy one.
The Salt King of America
Bloomberg Businessweek (Sept. ’19)
Ben Jacobsen wants people to think differently about the power of salt.
Crazy Train
Baltimore Magazine (Sept. ’19)
Is the proposed 300-mile-per-hour maglev train Baltimore’s future? Or fantasy?
The Corn That Grows Itself
OneZero (Jun. ’19)
How microbes could upend America’s toxic dependence on nitrogen fertilizer.
The Giving Trees
Popular Science (May ’19)
Urban forests are dying. Baltimore shows us how to bring them back.
Broken Code
Postindustrial (May ’19)
Mined Minds aimed to turn cash-strapped Appalachians into computer programmers. But in a lawsuit, two former students say the coding boot camp was a far cry from what they were promised.
The Science Behind the Mental Clarity Diet
Elemental (Apr. ’19)
Butter coffee, keto, intermittent fasting. Does eating to prevent brain fog actually work?
The Futures We Were Promised
Popular Science (Mar. ’19)
No jetpacks. Zero flying cars. Where is the cool transportation technology we were promised?
The Brain That Remade Itself
OneZero (Feb. ’19)
Doctors removed one-sixth of Tanner Collins’ brain. Then the miraculous happened: He was fine, and his brain literally changed.
(Republished in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2020. Included in the 3/3/19 edition of The Sunday Long Read newsletter.)
What I Learned from a Month on the Carnivore Diet
Outside (Jan. ’19)
In September 2018, I joined the ranks of “Carnivore King” Shawn Baker’s all-meat cult for 30 days. Here’s what happened.
Meet ‘NoSurf,’ the Self-Help Group That Told Us to Log Off Before It Was Cool
Medium (Jan. ’19)
How an online community dedicated to combatting the endless scroll of the internet’s social media feeds got huge.
Craig Newmark’s New Hit List
Medium (Dec. ’18)
The internet mogul behind Craigslist was vilified for destroying journalism. Now he’s setting out to save it.
How Guns Became the New Free Speech
Medium (Nov. ’18)
Defense Distributed, champion of the 3D-printed handgun, took on the State Department and won — by arguing that publishing computer code, even code that can make a working gun, is a 1st Amendment right.
I Took ‘Adulting Classes’ for Millennials
CityLab (Oct. ’18)
Inside the curious cottage industry devoted to teaching young adults how to act like grown-ups.
America Isn’t Ready for the Lanternfly Invasion
Bloomberg Businessweek (Oct. ’18)
A bizarre pest from Asia is spreading fast and putting billions of dollars’ worth of resources at risk.
Can Apple stores be public spaces?
Curbed (Oct. ’18)
The tech giant wants to be the new town square. Can Apple be an effective steward of the commons?
The Kid Recoding the Beltway
MIT Technology Review (Aug. ’18)
Meet Tim Hwang, the 26-year-old founder of FiscalNote, the newest D.C. player shaking up the glad-handing, back-slapping, reception-cruising world of Washington lobbying.
When Working in Virtual Reality Makes You Sick
Medium (Aug. ’18)
If it’s your job to build imaginary, escapist tech, the side effects can be real.
A Day With Mark Quartiano, the Darth Vader of Shark Fishing
Popular Science (Jul. ’18)
Mark "the Shark" Quartiano unabashedly catches and kills sharks. Over 40 years, he's hooked 50,000 of them. Now marine ecologists are taking notice.
The Forever Man
Popular Science (May ’18)
Bill Faloon has pursued immortality for decades. Now he's got lots of company, but is there any truth to anti-aging schemes?
(Selected as a piece of "Notable Science and Nature Writing" in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019.)
The Gray Area of Brain Training
Popular Science (Mar. ’18)
Greg Ortman suffered from post-concussion syndrome after years of football—until he started brain training. But is it real science or self-improvement fantasy?
(Included in the 4/1/18 edition of The Sunday Long Read newsletter.)
(Selected as a piece of "Notable Science and Nature Writing" in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019.)
Cashing out
Curbed (Mar. ’18)
Bitcoin's young investors put their digital currency to work in the physical world.
Why have Baltimoreans been hoarding this rye whiskey?
The Washington Post Magazine (Jan. ’18)
It's last call for Pikesville Supreme — a beloved Maryland whiskey that dates back to the 1890s.
Where is all the good affordable furniture?
Curbed (Nov. ’17)
In the Ikea era, makers and buyers face a disconnect.
The Joy of Ax
Men's Health (Oct. ’17)
Inside Matt Cogar's quest to become the greatest lumberjack in the world.
How Cities Are Coping With the E-Commerce Boom
CityLab (Apr. ’17)
A siege of delivery trucks is threatening to choke cities with traffic. But not everyone agrees on what to do about it.
The Rise and Fall of the Everyman Tycoon
Wired (Dec. ’16)
MakerBot made a bold bet that 3D printers would become as common as microwaves. Just one problem: No one else shared that dream.
Meet Charpu, the Drone-Racing Megastar Who Doesn't Feel Like Racing
Wired (Sept. ’16)
A drone-racing ace charts his own course as the sport goes mainstream.
(Selected as a piece of "Notable Sports Writing" in The Best American Sports Writing 2017.)
Can these former felons save Freddie Gray's violent neighborhood?
The Washington Post Magazine (cover story) (Jul. ’16)
In Baltimore's Sandtown neighborhood, a group of ex-cons are trying to stop shootings before they ever start.
Welcome to the Open Data Movement’s Turbulent Teenage Years
Next City (Jan. ’15)
Mark Headd was hired to be Philadelphia’s first chief data officer. But no one said transparent government was going to be easy.
Welcome to the Uber Wars
Politico Magazine (Sept. ’14)
Maryland is the first state to rule the Silicon Valley startup a transportation company, not an app. Will Uber fight back?
Why Isn't It a Crime To Kill a Cyclist?
Next City (Feb. ’14)
In Mississippi, cyclist Jan Morgan was hit by a passing car. She got short-term memory loss; the driver got a $50 fine.
The Business of Lacrosse
Baltimore Style (cover story) (Jan. ’14)
How Paul Rabil became the first professional lacrosse player worth $1 million.
SHORTS
Why Are All of These Young, Fit Athletes Suddenly Coding?
Men’s Health (Oct. ’23)
Bronny James, Damar Hamlin, and more young athletes have experienced heart problems in recent months. Here’s what’s really going on.
The Greatest Pogo Stick the World Has Ever Seen
The Atlantic (Aug. ’23)
A classic toy has been reengineered for extreme athletes. Can it appeal to normies too?
(For getting around the paywall…)
Where’s the Beef?
The New Republic (May ’23)
Inside the lobbying battle between Big Ag and lab-grown meat.
Convincing Gen Z to Work in the Federal Government
The Washington Post (Mar. ’23)
An effort to recruit a new generation of employees includes job fairs and more internships.
Will flying cars cause traffic jams in the sky?
Popular Science (Jan. ’23)
Soaring over street traffic is appealing, but we need to figure out how to manage congestion in the air.
How the Parking Garage Conquered the City
CityLab (Dec. ’22)
When cars flooded urban America, builders, planner, and designers faced a daunting challenge: where to put them.
How Testosterone Therapy Is Transforming Aging
GQ (May ’22)
Ever wonder why old rich guys are looking a little more muscular these days?
Sperm Counts Are Dropping Fast, Says Epidemiologist Shanna Swan
GQ (Mar. ’21)
A conversation with Shanna Swan, who says men today are half as fertile as their grandfathers.
How ‘Vaccine Day’ Could Boost Inoculations
CityLab (Mar. ’21)
Public-health advocates are pushing for a one-time federal holiday to win over the vaccine-hesitant.
As hospitals look to prevent infections, a chorus of researchers make a case for copper surfaces
STAT (Sept. ’20)
Replacing stainless steel with copper could cut patient infections.
Why Does Coronavirus Disproportionately Kill Men?
GQ (Apr. ’20)
Scientists are still learning about COVID-19. One attribute, however, has become clear: It kills more men than women.
Doctors Find Instant Fame During the Coronavirus
OneZero (Mar. ’20)
People are using YouTube to find out about COVID-19, and licensed doctors — even Dr. Pimple Popper — are responding.
What Would Happen If the Internet Went Down … Forever?
Popular Mechanics (Oct. ’19)
A thought experiment.
How to Hack Happiness
Men’s Health (Aug. ’19)
Six easy ways to actually make yourself happier.
How Paul Reed Smith Went From Guitars to Spy Technology
Washingtonian (Apr. ’19)
The legendary luthier is a favorite of Carlos Santana — and the U.S. Special Operations Command.
Let’s Buy a Train
CityLab (Mar. ’19)
You can, in fact, roam the U.S. in your own train car. But Amtrak cuts have railcar owners wondering if their days are numbered.
A tour of what may be the nation’s most gerrymandered district
The Washington Post Magazine (Feb. ’19)
Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District is a tortuous, expansive district — one that’s nicknamed the Praying Mantis because of its shape.
Maximal Opus: Why Some People Invest So Much Into Their Smart Homes
New York (May ’18)
Meet the home-automation obsessives who have dozens, even hundreds, of smart-home devices.
Why Are Newspaper Websites So Horrible?
CityLab (Apr. ’18)
Clunky navigation! Autoplaying video ads! The reasons why newspaper websites suck so much.
This Man Wants to Open-Source Your Car
Fortune (Aug. ’17)
Meet George Hotz, the 27-year-old hacker taking on Tesla in the race to make a self-driving car.
From the attic to the Smithsonian: black history museum is full of ‘found’ items
The Guardian (Aug. ’16)
The National Museum of African American History and Culture houses 35,000 artifacts, many found in attics and basements.
An Illustrated Guide to Ben Lecomte's Nightmares
Outside (Feb. ’15)
A Frenchman plans to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Yes, that's as crazy as it sounds.
The Right Suit
The Atlantic (Jul. ’12)
A new space suit is designed to let a skydiver fall from 120,000 feet. Could it also save astronauts' lives?
Book Reviews
Building a Home
Los Angeles Review of Books (Jul. ’17)
On rehabbing a house and finding community in Drew Philp's "A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City."
How Cherokee Territory Became the 'Deep South'
Los Angeles Review of Books (Jun. ’15)
On the fight over Cherokee lands in the American South in Steve Inskeep's "Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab."