EDITORIAL STAFF

Jeff Bernier

Image from Nuclear Meltdowns Raised Fears, but Growing Energy Needs May Outweigh Them
Video

Nuclear Meltdowns Raised Fears, but Growing Energy Needs May Outweigh Them

Catastrophic accidents at power plants have heightened fears about the safety of nuclear energy, but environmentalists and others are giving it renewed attention as a way to fight global warming.
Image from Presidents v. Press: How the Pentagon Papers Leak Set Up First Amendment Showdowns
Video

Presidents v. Press: How the Pentagon Papers Leak Set Up First Amendment Showdowns

Efforts to clamp down on White House leaks to the press follow a pattern that was set during the Nixon era after the publication of the Pentagon Papers.
Image from Health Risks of Vaping: Lessons From the Battle With Big Tobacco
Video

Health Risks of Vaping: Lessons From the Battle With Big Tobacco

Like cigarette manufacturers decades ago, e-cigarette makers have pitched their products as fun and safe. But nobody knows what the risks are.
Image from Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat
Video

Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked talk of population control. So what happened?
Image from The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble
Video

The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble

Newborns today are tested for genetic and immune disorders that might not be apparent at birth. The tests evolved from the treatment of a patient with a rare diagnosis who became known as “the Boy in the Bubble.”
Image from Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?
Video

Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?

Is geo-engineering the climate an answer to global warming? Cold War science has some lessons.
Image from Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill
Video

Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill

How a pill that led to drug safety guidelines became a case study for rising drug prices.
Image from Future of Aging
Video

Future of Aging

Across the globe, more and more people are living longer lives and that’s redefining what it means to be over 65, and what the future might mean for retirement.
Image from Future of College
Video

The Future of College

Online learning is indeed disrupting college as we know it – but not in the way you might think.
Image from Future of Water
Video

Future of Water

The increasing scarcity of drinking water is beginning to capture the world’s attention – but surprisingly, an innovative solution might just be found in one of the Earth’s driest places.
Image from Future of Gaming
Video

Future of Gaming

As gaming becomes the dominant form of entertainment this century, game developers increasingly track player behavior to tailor experiences that will keep people playing longer and spending more money.
Image from Future of Cities
Video

Future of Cities

In the latest installment of our “What Happens Next” series examining the future of society, we visit Medellín, Colombia—a city that has reinvented itself over the past few decades, turning its violent past into a sustainable future by transforming its slums.
Image from Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns
Video

Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns

In the 1980s, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and the shooting of his press secretary, Jim Brady, led to the Brady Bill. Decades later, are there lessons from that fight for the Parkland students?
Image from Us vs. Them: From George Wallace to Donald Trump
Video

Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump

Donald Trump has used populist politics to appeal to voters who are fed up with the status quo. We look at another politician who tapped into America’s divisions decades ago: George Wallace.
Image from Raising Doubts About Evolution… in Science Class
Video

Raising Doubts about Evolution… in Science Class

A skepticism of science has seeped into the classroom, and it’s revived attacks on one of the most established principles of biology – evolution.
Image from Future of Money
Video

Future of Money

Future of Money, the first in a 5-part series, looks at what ancient stones on a tiny Pacific island can teach us about Bitcoin, blockchains and the future of money.
Image from Future of Home
Video

Future of Home

Guatemalan homesteaders and a Michigan contractor are riding a wave that could change how our lives are wired.
Image from Future of Fact
Video

Future of Fact

Online manipulation and immersive media have begun to eradicate our shared notion of authenticity and trust. How will society change when we can no longer believe what we see, hear, or think?
Image from Future of Food
Video

Future of Food

A small South Dakota farm holds lessons for feeding a crowded and less predictable world.
Image from Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement
Video

Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement

Author Rachel Carson’s strike against the pesticide DDT turned her into both an environmental hero and a foil for those who believe regulation has gone too far. That fight is more relevant than ever.
Image from Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers
Video

Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

In the late 1990s, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, more than two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?
Image from The Outrage Machine
Video

The Outrage Machine

In the digital age, where everyday people can suddenly become public enemy number one, how do we strike the balance between keeping free speech alive online and preventing a cyber mob from taking over?
Image from Runaway Plane
Video

Runaway Plane

For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.
Image from What Is a Healthy Diet? The Answers Are Unsatisfying
Video

What Is a Healthy Diet? The Answers Are Unsatisfying

Thirty-five years after the first dietary guidelines, how much do we really know about the science behind a healthy diet?
Image from Being in the Bubble
Video

Being in the Bubble

The curious origin of a political metaphor.
Image from How a Standoff with the Black Panthers Fueled the Rise of SWAT
Video

How a Standoff with the Black Panthers Fueled the Rise of SWAT

S.W.A.T. teams, specially trained police teams, have been used increasingly in routine matters like serving drug warrants, sometimes with disastrous results.
Image from From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned
Video

From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

In the 1980s, many government officials, scientists, and journalists warned that the country would be plagued by a generation of “crack babies.” They were wrong. More than 25 years later, the media is sounding a similar alarm.
Image from Why Waco is Still a Battleground in the 2nd Amendment Debate
Video

Why Waco is Still a Battleground in the 2nd Amendment Debate

In 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and generated a legacy that continues to shape antigovernment groups today.
Image from The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup
Video

The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup

The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Decades later, the case continues to take surprising turns.
Image from Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War
Video

Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

The use of the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and Vietnamese citizens.
Image from Stealing J. Edgar Hoover's Secrets
Video

Stealing J. Edgar Hoover's Secrets

Long before Edward Snowden, there was the greatest heist you’ve never heard of. On March 8, 1971, a group of eight Vietnam War protestors broke into a Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Media, Pennsylvania and stole hundreds of government documents that shocked a nation.
Image from Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster
Video

Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and Louisiana’s troubled housing recovery has shaped the response to every major disaster since, including Hurricane Sandy.
Image from The Tawana Brawley Story
Video

The Tawana Brawley Story

In 1988, the nation learned the truth about the alleged crimes against Tawana Brawley, but the shocking story was far from over.
Image from The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic
Video

The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic

In the 1980s, images of tiny, jittery “crack babies” caused social outcry – crack-addicted pregnant mothers were prosecuted and the media warned that a generation of “crack babies” would plague our country. Turns out… they were wrong.
Return to Masthead