Jesse Hicks

More From the Author

“More Human Than Human”

With a long history of nebulous definitions, transhumanism today generally refers to a convergence of three technologies: genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. These technologies, transhumanists believe, will soon enable human beings to radically remake themselves.

Bad Chemistry

Distillations Article

Bad men, maybe, but they practice good chemistry. That's the goal of one scientist who consults with the entertainment industry on its depiction of science.

Atoms for Peace: The Mixed Legacy of Eisenhower’s Nuclear Gambit

Distillations Article

The United States ended World War II as the world’s sole nuclear power, but within five years the country had lost its nuclear monopoly. In response a president attempted a risky balancing act between war and peace, secrecy and transparency.

Return to the Scene

Distillations Article

In 1886 a bomb exploded during a labor protest in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. Eight anarchists were tried and found guilty; some were executed. In 2003 researchers reassessed the forensic evidence.

Fast Times: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of Amphetamine

Distillations Article

Amphetamine didn’t cure anything, but it did make you feel better. Chemist Gordon Alles faced this paradox after patenting his discovery in 1932.

Pipe Dreams: America’s Fluoride Controversy

Distillations Article

How did a seemingly benign chemical and a near-miraculous public-health initiative spark decades and decades debate?

Underground Faults

Distillations Article

One of this year’s Oscar-nominated documentaries was the controversial Gasland, in which money, science, and politics play a role in the development of natural-gas reserves in the eastern United States.

The Devil in a Little Green Bottle: A History of Absinthe

Distillations Article

Absinthe, an alcoholic drink introduced to France in the 1840s, developed a decadent though violent reputation. To some the drink symbolized creativity and liberation, and to others, madness and despair. One thing was certain: more than science was behind European responses to its influence.

The Pursuit of Sweet

Distillations Article

From lab accident to wonder drug to chemical has-been, saccharin’s history tracks the rise of consumer consciousness, government regulation, and the uncertainties underlying scientific evidence.