Top Gun
A 2003 profile of Gaston Glock, the inventor of one of the most widely used handguns in the world, and something of an unusual character.
Tinder’s In-House Sociologist
An interview with the woman tasked with understanding what people find attractive.
Dispatches from the Rap Wars
A sociologist spent 18 months living with gangs in Chicago fighting bitterly violent local turf wars, and simultaneously trying to make it big with rap tracks and on social media.
The Website Providing Abortion Without Borders
A profile of Women on Web, an online only abortion service.
The Deepest Dig
The ocean bed is little understood and mapped by humans, and has been referred to as “the next best thing to another planet” from an astrobiological point of view. We don’t really know it at all, and yet we have figured out how to mine it.
Eyes Aloft
An insight into the world of aviation enthusiasts. Their activity is memorably described – “Their interests are so basic that they seem abstract: to appreciate planes; to record them; to appreciate them by recording them; and to record their own passion for recording.” Yet the piece shows how the information that they gather about the comings and goings of air traffic (including military and VIP flights) can fan out into public and political life.
The Art of Larry Gagosian’s Empire
A revealing profile of one of the preeminent art dealers of our times, estimated to sell over one billion dollars of art each year.
Canary in the Code Mine
A look at a project to teach coding to former miners in Appalachian coal country. The project was born in part out of a dismissive comment made by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and its popularity has confounded stereotypes.
How China is Rewriting the Book on Human Origins
Fossil finds in China lead to conflicting views of human origins.