Smith Griswold Sells the War against Smog
Environment

To fight air pollution, officials first had to convince Californians that carmakers were the enemy, not cars.
Hunting the Nazi Nuclear Hoard
Policy & Politics

In the last years of World War II a group of American scientists and soldiers raced to capture enemy physicists, sabotage Hitler’s nuclear ambitions, and do it all before their Soviet allies were any the wiser.
Science on TV: An Interview with Ingrid Ockert
Culture

Historian of science and media Ingrid Ockert discusses the exact moment Carl Sagan began wearing turtlenecks, how NOVA changed television, and the key to any successful show: respect the audience.
San Francisco’s Plague Years
Health

As officials spread disinformation, a deadly epidemic edged its way into the United States.
Poison Pill: The Mysterious Die-Off of India’s Vultures
Environment

India’s vultures have been driven to the brink of extinction in a matter of decades. Their loss threatens the well-being of the country’s human population.
Distilled #9: Lovely Ladies Sell Instruments
Culture

Why are these stylish women posing with scientific instruments? Instrument makers in the 1960s used “lovely ladies” to sell their wares, an advertising ploy that’s still around today.