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Retro Report is a growing series of over 100 short documentaries that tell the history behind the news.
Latest
Selling the Code: Can Genetic Testing Services Really Predict Your Future?
Lifesaving genetic tests were among the goals for scientists who sequenced the human genome back in the 1990s. Today, companies market genetic tests for everything from cancer to diet and exercise. But how much can tests like 23andme really predict?
Lifesaving genetic tests were among the goals for scientists who sequenced the human genome back in …
Why 'This is Your Brain On Drugs' is the Wrong Way to Think about Addiction
Overdose deaths are skyrocketing, forcing researchers to find new ways to think about and treat addiction.
Overdose deaths are skyrocketing, forcing researchers to find new ways to think about and treat …
Fixing the Code: Genetically Engineering Your DNA to Cure Disease
For the past 20 years, scientists have been trying to cure disease by altering DNA. We examine how with CRISPR Cas-9 gene editing and the revival of gene therapy, they're closer than ever.
For the past 20 years, scientists have been trying to cure disease by altering DNA. We examine how …
Finding the Code: The Race to Sequence the Human Genome and What It Means
One of biology’s most spectacular achievements -- the race to sequence the human genome -- was billed as a way to end disease. Here's where it led.
One of biology’s most spectacular achievements -- the race to sequence the human genome -- was …
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Context for this Week

Stories that shine a light on today’s news

Myths and Misperceptions about Eating Disorders

The revolutionary health guide ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves,’ which has sold more than four million copies, will stop publication. The nonprofit that has published the book since the 1970s will partner instead with other organizations doing feminist work. Watch Women’s Rights Protest &the Match That Sparked a Movement.

Women's Rights Protests & the Match That Sparked a Movement

Amidst the success of her sitcom’s reboot, Roseanne Barr posted a bizarre tweet stoking #PizzaGate conspiracy theories. Watch Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate to see why these types of theories thrive.

Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate

Playlists

Badass Women »

'Why Hasn't Sexual Harassment Disappeared?'
Women's Rights Protests & the Match That Sparked a Movement
Malaria and the Silent Spring
Argentina's Stolen Babies, and the Grandmother Leading the Search
Infamous Birth Defect Drug Thalidomide's Unlikely Comeback

Moral Panics! »

D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic
The Terminator and the Washing Machine
Free Speech VS Censorship: Warnings From Explicit Lyrics to Trigger Warnings
Is Multiple Personality Disorder Real? One Woman's Story
The Preschool Sex Abuse Case that Changed How Molestation is Investigated

Animal Tales »

Pets Gone Wild
Wolves at the Door
The Mystery of the Missing Bees
Fly Wars: Battling The Medfly
How Cloning a Sheep Set Off a Sci Fi Panic

Retro World »

How Special Ops Became Central to the War On Terror
Argentina's Stolen Babies, and the Grandmother Leading the Search
Anatomy of an Interrogation
A Mother, A Dingo, and an Australian Media Frenzy
A Search for Justice

Award Winning »

A Search for Justice
Go or no Go: The Challenger Legacy
The Sleeper Cell That Wasn't
Taking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee Case
Infamous Birth Defect Drug Thalidomide's Unlikely Comeback

When The Press Gets It Wrong »

The Outrage Machine
Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism
A Mother, A Dingo, and an Australian Media Frenzy
Taking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee Case
Richard Jewell: The Wrong Man

Crime & Punishment »

Heroin and the War on Drugs
SWAT: Mission Creep
How DNA Changed the World of Forensics
The Superpredator Scare
Crime and Punishment: Three Strikes and You’re Out

Culture Wars »

'Why Hasn't Sexual Harassment Disappeared?'
LSD: From 60s Counterculture to Doctor's Office
D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic
Transforming History
The Enduring Legacy of Terri Schiavo

Faulty Forecasts »

Nuclear Winter
From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned
Population Bomb: The Dire Prediction That Fell Flat
Power Line Fears
Y2K: Much Ado About Nothing?

Sports »

A Tale of Two Boxers
Blood and Sport
Chris Borland: The Man Who Walked Away
Curt Flood: Rebel Without a Clause
Picking a Winner: The 1998 NFL Draft
Weekly Recommended Reading
Latest Photo Essays
News and Awards