Journalist and author of "The Boy Who Loved Too Much," a nonfiction book about a genetic disorder sometimes called the opposite of autism.
Migraines and Me: A Love Story?
With a prospective cure in sight, I’m suddenly wondering who I’d be without my headaches.
What Is It Like to Be Nice to Everybody?
People with a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome are irrepressibly friendly and driven to engage with others.
A Cure for Disconnection
Loneliness is a problem of epidemic proportions, affecting millions from all walks of life. But while its roots are complex, remedies may be within reach.
Can America recover from addiction?
When Beth Macy sounded the alarm on America’s opioid crisis in her best-selling 2018 book, “Dopesick,” the situation was dire. Four years later, it’s only gotten worse.
Why Witches on TV Spell Trouble in Real Life
From Salem to 'Salem,' witchcraft has been a fixture of American pop culture...
Essay: Check the fridge, check on each other — tips on returning to the office
The potted plants are dead and the office fridge has become a science experiment. Many white-collar workers were fortunate to work from home during the pandemic, safely away from colleagues and their droplets. Now, nearly 18 months after saying goodbye to cubicle life, many of us are trickling back to the office.
Lost at Sea
How "boat people" fleeing the aftermath of the Vietnam War discovered safe haven in Houston, and how their stories found a home at Rice.
Why are exclamation points everywhere?!
If you really want to demonstrate your dislike for someone, end a sentence with a period.
Brain Trouble
I am 22 when it first occurs to me that migraines will impede my projected path through life.
Living with a Pathologically Disobedient Kid
This is a journey no family would choose, and the outcome is unclear even under the best of circumstances. Here is one boy’s story.
The virus of inequality in ‘The Viral Underclass’
When George Floyd died in May 2020, the cause was murder. A white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while the 46-year-old Black man gasped for breath. But Floyd’s autopsy revealed that he was also infected with COVID-19, a leading cause of death in the US that summer.
Two Shootings, 30 Years Apart, Linked by Fear
Why Bernie Goetz was celebrated for shooting four unarmed black teens, and how things have—or haven’t—changed...
In ‘Bringing Down the Colonel,’ a Victorian scandal that feels #MeToo familiar
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
The Forces of Attraction
Why we love who we love can seem like a mystery. But unusual couples, such as twins who marry other sets of twins, can shed some light on the biology guiding mate choice.