Sam Kean

Biologist John Calhoun’s rodent experiments gripped a society consumed by fears of overpopulation.

A harrowing eye surgery may have given the impressionist painter the ability to see UV light.

Forensic science can be a powerful crime-fighting tool, but misdeeds, dubious methodologies, and bogus claims threaten its reputation—and the reputation of science as a whole.

During the War of 1870, astronomer Jules Janssen risked his life for scientific prestige and French patriotism.

Despite a lack of evidence, many have been captivated by the electrical whiz’s most mysterious project.

A wildlife painter who ran afoul of xenophobic authorities during World War II found refuge and renewed purpose in the lab.

When New York’s poor revolted against the city’s grave-robbing medical establishment.

A lesson in humility begets a scientific revolution.

How did a chemist from Philadelphia wind up a Soviet spy?

A misunderstanding of hippo physiology gave rise to one of the most widespread and pointless practices in medical history.

Can artificial intelligence help us decipher smell?

A discovery by Indian scientist and statesman Meghnad Saha revealed the nature of stars.

In the 1940s two chemists joined forces to fight Los Angeles’s stinky, stinging air.

How one man’s youthful rebellion may unlock a cure for cancer.

A Japanese gourmand discovers the fifth element of taste.

John Hughes worked his way through uncounted pig brains to find the human body’s natural painkiller.

Poisoners have long made use of the periodic table of elements for their dirty work—think arsenic and mercury—but modern technology offers a new elemental option: a disappearing poison.

Phosphorous helps power cells and forms the backbone of DNA. It’s also a vital ingredient in fertilizer, and one that may run short in the not-too-distant future.

Rocks in space! Yeah, we know space is filled with rocks, but until now no one had any plans to mine them for their metals.