One Doctor’s Answer to Drug Deaths: Opioid Vending Machines
Across North America, tainted opioids are killing people who use drugs. Vancouver’s Mark Tyndall says we should start dispensing safer pills using high-tech machines….
Category: Backchannel
Move Over, San Andreas: There’s an Ominous New Fault in Town
An emerging fault system along the Nevada border is shaking up the tech industry’s latest frontier—and only a small group of scientists is paying attention….
Pete Buttigieg Revived South Bend With Tech. Up Next: America
As the mayor of a small Indiana city, Buttigieg applied his low-key technocratic style to economic and social dysfunction. Now he wants a chance to fix the country….
A ‘Herculean’ Study of Scott and Mark Kelly Asks: Are Humans Fit for Space?
Scientists around the world compared the genomes and health changes of twin astronauts. Scott Kelly (left) flew in the International Space Station for a year while Mark Kelly stayed on Earth….
A Brief History of Porn on the Internet
Pornographers developed many early innovations in internet marketing, like pop-up ads and subscriptions. And women were among the most successful entrepreneurs in the business….
A Viral Crime, Genetic Evidence, and a Perplexed Jury
Two decades ago, a new form of genetic testing helped send a man to prison. But the case exposed the limits of using complicated forensics in a criminal trial….
The Body Pullers of Syria
Thousands of bodies are buried in shallow graves around Raqqa. One group is using Facebook and Google Earth to identify human remains and rebury them where they belong….
What Really Happens in a Greylock VC Pitch Meeting?
Turns out that the art of being a venture capitalist means never saying no, even if you rarely say yes….
Al Gore Did Not Invent the Green New Deal, but He Likes It
The former vice president believes we can only address the climate crisis if we fix the crisis in democracy too….
What Happens When a Jury Grapples With Perplexing Science
Two decades ago, a new form of genetic testing helped send a man to prison. But the case exposed the limits of using complicated forensics in a criminal trial….
On the Trail of the Robocall King
An investigator set out to discover the source of one scammy robocall. Turns out, his target made them by the millions….
A Clever New Strategy for Treating Cancer, Thanks to Darwin
Most advanced-stage cancers mutate, resisting drugs meant to kill them. Now doctors are harnessing the principles of evolution to thwart that lethal adaptation….
Synthetic Biology Could Bring a Pox on Us All
New methods are making it easier than ever to produce life-saving vaccines—and life-taking viruses that humanity is not prepared to fight….
Coders’ Primal Urge to Kill Inefficiency—Everywhere
For software engineers, lack of friction is an aesthetic joy, an emotional high, the ideal existential state. It’s what drives them—and shapes our world….
A More Humane Livestock Industry, Brought to You by Crispr
Horn-free? Yup. Heat-tolerant? Sure. Flu-proof? Of course. Gene editing aims to make our food supply kinder and more efficient. But it’s struggling to leave the barn….
The Punishing Ecstasy of Being a Reddit Moderator
Banishing zombies and tracking down Russia propaganda—on the front lines with the social site’s volunteer army….