How the Owens Bottle Company Helped End American Child Labor
An excerpt from Vince Beiser's new book about how sand transformed civilization.
Vince Beiser
Vince Beiser is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Wired, Harper's, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. A graduate of the University of California–Berkeley, he lives in Los Angeles.
Prairie Home Companions: A Homecoming in Red Cloud, Nebraska
A homecoming in Red Cloud, Nebraska.
Into the Eyeballs of Syrian Refugees: Should We Be Scanning Irises?
Is it really a good idea to scan the irises of thousands of vulnerable people?
When Crime Labs Go Criminal
Annie Dookhan, the forensic scientist sent to prison last week for falsifying evidence, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Why Don’t We Just Shoot Condemned Inmates?
If we’re going to kill people, there's only one good way to do it.
Why Disasters Like the Typhoon Will Keep Getting Worse
It's not just because of climate change—it's population growth, too.
Sentenced to Die in Prison for Stealing Tools?
Why are more than 3,000 inmates serving life without parole in state and federal prisons across the United States for non-violent offenses?
The Problem With the Way People Are Interpreting That New Gun Study
Journalists are misrepresenting a new study about the number of children killed every year by firearms.
How Lou Reed Showed It's OK to Be Gay
He may have been the world's first out bisexual rock star—but what really matters is that everyone thought he was.
The Free Market Is Abandoning Clean Energy
What happened to all of those investments in renewable energy technologies?
In Russia, Activism Is Now Officially Considered Crazy
In an act of domestic repression, authorities have locked up a prominent political dissident.
NRA Member Finds Most Gun Dealers Favor Background Checks
Survey polled 1,601 gun dealers, pawnshops, and gunsmiths in 43 states.
Conservatives Say Yes to Cannabis
Is there anybody still opposed to legalizing marijuana?
On America's Farms, Data Is the New Cash Crop
Today's farmers are using all of the technology at their disposal to increase yields, which is critical if we hope to feed a rapidly growing population. But digitally driven farming is not without its potential downsides.
Egypt's Sexual Violence Epidemic
A string of attacks on women "highlight the failure of government and all political parties," according to a Human Rights Watch statement.
Building a Legal Marijuana Industry From the Ground Up
Washington's Initiative 502 legalized pot across the state, but provided only a few guidelines for how to produce, process, and retail the drug. What regulations will lawmakers put in place—and will they convince black market users to switch to a new, regulated industry?
What to Think About Anti-Gay Crusaders Who Now Say They're Sorry?
Exodus International's Alan Chambers, Ken Mehlman, and others like them have done serious damage to a righteous cause. Is an apology enough?
When Will the Census Stop Collecting Race Data?
In a nation where we're increasingly identifying as "mixed race," categories have to stop meaning anything at some point.
There's a Name for That: Pluralistic Ignorance
Ever found yourself at odds with what you thought was the majority opinion? There's a name for that.
Gun Medicine: California's Armed Prohibited Persons System
Why we should be treating gun violence as a disease—and why most states can't.
We Are Entering a New Era of Fossil Fuels
Rapidly advancing technologies are opening up astonishing sources of oil and gas all over the world. We are entering a new era of fossil fuels that is reshaping global economics and politics—and the planet.
Hotelling's Law: Why Everything Starts to Look the Same
Why do Burger King and McDonald's start to sell the same salad? There's a name for that phenomenon.
The Physics of NASCAR
What Jimmie Johnson and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., owe to a PhD in the pit crew.
Good Night, Vietnam
Why this Emory prof is studying the sleeping habits of villagers halfway around the world