Jesse Hicks

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.

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 using modern technology. Yet sometimes even C.S.I.-level equipment cannot fully answer the fundamental question: guilty or not guilty?

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

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.