Essays

The New Yorker
 

Seeing the Spectrum [on autism], The New Yorker (25 January 2016), pp. 65-69.

The Man Who Forgot Everything” (on amnesia), The New Yorker (15 October 2013).

"Cancer World" (on the history of the disease), The New Yorker (8 November 2010), pp. 78-83.

"Man With a Plan" (on Herbert Spencer), The New Yorker (13 August 2007), pp. 75-79.

"What Else Is New?" (on the history of technology), The New Yorker (14 May 2007), pp. 144-148.

"Vegetable Love" (on the history of vegetarianism), The New Yorker (22 January 2007), pp. 80-84.

"Sick City" (on cholera and the history of epidemiology), The New Yorker (6 November 2006), pp. 110-115.

"Paradise Sold" (on the politics of eating), The New Yorker (15 May 2006), pp. 84-88.

"Eat and Run" (on obesity), The New Yorker (16 January 2006), pp. 76-82.

"Liquid Assets" (on the history of drinking), The New Yorker (1 August 2005), pp. 80-82.

"Cleanup Hitters" (on steroids), The New Yorker (18 April 2005), pp. 191-194.

 

London Review of Books

 

"Loose Talk" [Alex Wellerstein, Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States], London Review of Books, Vol. 43 No. 21 (4 November 2021).

Drain the Swamps” [Timothy Winegard, The Mosquito], London Review of Books, 42, no. 11 (4 June 2020), pp. 52-56.

Keep Him as a Curiosity” [Toby Musgrave, The Multifarious Mr. Banks], London Review of Books, 42, no. 16 (13 August 2020), pp. 4-5, 7-8, 10.

The Cinderella Molecule,” [Venki Ramakrishnan, Gene Machine], London Review of Books, 41, no. 2 (24 January 2019), pp. 19-20.

"Think Like a Neutron” [David Schwartz, The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age], London Review of Books, 40, no. 10 (10 May 2018), pp. 13-15.

Bare Bones” [Juan Pimentel, The Rhinoceros and the Megatherium], London Review of Books, 40, no. 5 (8 March 2018), pp. 25-26.

The Superhuman Upgrade” [Yuval Harari, Homo Deus], London Review of Books, 39, no. 14 (13 July 2017), pp. 29-31.

More than Machines” [Jessica Riskin, The Restless Clock], London Review of Books, 38, no. 23 (1 December 2016), pp. 15-20.

What Do You Mean by a Lie?” [Nick Hopwood, Haeckel’s Embryos], London Review of Books, 38, no. 9 (5 May 2016), pp. 35-37.

Confusion of Tongues” [Michael Gordin, Scientific Babel], London Review of Books, 37, no. 23 (3 December 2015), pp. 23-26.

What Do You Mean by a Lie??” [Nick Hopwood, Haeckel’s Embryos], London Review of Books, 38, no. 9 (5 May 2016), pp. 35-37.

More than Machines” [Jessica Riskin, The Restless Clock], London Review of Books, 38, no. 23 (1 December 2016), pp. 15-20.

"Pretense for Prattle" [Markman Ellis, Richard Coulton, Matthew Mauger,

Empire of Tea: The Asian Leaf that Conquered the WorldLondon Review of Books, 37 no. 15 (30 July 2015), pp. 17-18

Libel on the Human Race” [Robert Mayhew, Malthus], London Review of Books, 36, no. 11 (5 June 2014), pp. 26-29.

How Worried Should We Be?” [Eric Schlosser, Command and Control], London Review of Books, 36, no. 2 (23 January 2014), pp. 20-23.

Fat Man” [Graham Farmelo, Churchill’s Bomb], London Review of Books, 35, no. 18 (26 September 2013), pp. 36-39.

Catastrophism” [Michael Gordin, The Pseudoscience Wars], London Review of Books, 34, no. 21 (8 November 2012), pp. 35-38.

"Plus or Minus One Ear" [Robert Crease, World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement], London Review of Books, 34, no. 16 (30 August 2012), pp. 8-10.

An Example of the Good Life” [Mary Jo Nye, Michael Polanyi and His Generation], London Review of Books, 33, no. 24 (15 December 2011), pp. 23-25.

Gutted” [Ian Miller, A Modern History of the Stomach], London Review of Books, 33, no. 13 (30 June 2011), pp. 15-17.

What’s Your Dust Worth?” [Norman Cantor, After We Die], London Review of Books, 33, no. 8 (14 April 2011), pp. 10-12.

"Good Housekeeping" [Ted McCormick, William Petty and the Ambitions of Political Arithmetic], London Review of Books, 33, no. 2 (20 January 2011), pp. 17-19.

Uncle of the Bomb” [K. C. Cole, Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens [on Frank Oppenheimer], London Review of Books, 32, no. 18 (23 September 2010), pp. 12-14.

Down to the Last Cream Puff” [Michael Steinberger, Au Revoir to All That], London Review of Books, 32, no. 15 (5 August 2010), pp. 3-6.

"The Darwin Show" [An extended essay on the events of “Darwin Year” 2009], London Review of Books, 32, no. 1 (7 January 2010), pp. 3, 5-7.

"Against the Pussyfoots" [George Saintsbury, Notes on a Cellar-Book], London Review of Books, 31, no. 17 (10 September 2009), pp. 32-33.

"Abishag's Revenge" [D. B. Haycock, Mortal Coil], London Review of Books, 31, no. 6 (26 March 2009), pp. 29-31.

"Species Mongers" [J. Endersby, Imperial Nature], London Review of Books, 30, no. 22 (20 November 2008), pp. 21-23.

"I’m a Surfer" [J. Craig Venter, A Life Decoded], London Review of Books, 30, no. 6 (20 March 2008), pp. 5-8.

"Floating Medicine Chests" [H. Cook, Matters of Exchange], London Review of Books, 30, no. 3 (7 February 2008), pp. 30-31.

"Possessed by the Idols" [D. Wootton, Bad Medicine], London Review of Books, 28, no. 23 (30 November 2006), pp. 31-33.

"When Men Started Doing It" [B. Buford, Heat], London Review of Books, 28, no. 16 (17 August 2006), pp. 3-5.

"At the Amsterdam" [B. Cowan, The Social Life of Coffee and M. Ellis, Coffee: A Cultural History], London Review of Books, 28, no. 8 (20 April 2006), pp. 12-14.

"Tod aus Luft" [D. Charles, Between Genius and Genocide], London Review of Books, 28, no. 2 (26 January 2006), pp. 7-8.

"What Did You Expect?" [A. Smith, Moondust], London Review of Books, 27, no. 17 (1 September 2005), pp. 31-32.

"Milk and Lemon" [R. Feynman, Letters], London Review of Books, 27, no. 13 (7 July 2005), pp. 10-13.

"Hedonistic Fruit Bombs" [R. Parker, Bordeaux, Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide and J. Nossiter, Mondovino], London Review of Books, 27, no.3 (3 February 2005), pp. 30-32.

"The Great Neurotic Art" [R. Atkins, Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution and others], London Review of Books, 27, no. 15 (5 August 2004), pp. 16-18.

"Talking with Alfred" [J. Conant, Tuxedo Park], London Review of Books, 27, no. 8 (15 April 2004), pp. 20-22.

"Cheese and Late Modernity" [P. Boisard, Camembert: A National Myth], London Review of Books, 25, no. 22 (20 November 2003), pp. 11-12, 14-15.

"Ivory Trade" [D. Bok, Universities in the Marketplace and H. Etzkowitz, MIT and the Rise of Entrepreneurial Science], London Review of Books, 25, no. 17 (11 September 2003), pp. 15-19.

"Rough Trade" [S. Inwood, The Man Who Knew Too Much: The Strange and Inventive Life of Robert Hooke], London Review of Books, 25, no. 5 (6 March 2003), pp. 14-16.

"One Peculiar Nut" [R. Watson, Cogito, Ergo Sum: The Life of René Descartes], London Review of Books, 25, no. 2 (23 January 2003), pp. 17-18.

"Barbecue of the Vanities" [K. Albala, Eating Right in the Renaissance and M. Nestle, Food Politics], London Review of Books, 29, no. 16 (22 August 2002), pp. 21-23.

"Megaton Man" [E. Teller, Memoirs], London Review of Books, 29, no. 8 (25 April 2002), pp. 18-20.

"Dear Prudence" [S. Toulmin, Return to Reason], London Review of Books, 29, no. 2 (24 January 2002), pp. 25-27.

"Guests in the President’s House" [D. Greenberg, Science, Money, and Politics], London Review of Books, 23, no. 20 (18 October 2001), pp. 3, 6-7.

"A Man’s Man’s World" [A. Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential], London Review of Books, 22, no. 23 (30 November 2000), pp. 19-20.

"Don’t Let That Crybaby in Here Again" [S. Schweber, In the Shadow of the Bomb and M. Palevsky, Atomic Fragments], London Review of Books, 22, no. 17 (7 September 2000), pp. 15-16.

"Fat is a Manifest Tissue" [A. Guerrini, Obesity and Depression in the Enlightenment], London Review of Books, 22, no. 15 (10 August 2000), pp.34-35.

"Trust Me" [P. Rabinow, French DNA], London Review of Books, 22, no. 9 (27 April 2000), pp. 15-17.

"Scientific Antlers" [D. Kevles, The Baltimore Case: A Trial of Politics, Science and Character], London Review of Books, 21 No. 5 (4 March 1999), pp. 27-28.

"Nobel Savage" [K. Mullis, Dancing Naked in the Mind Field], London Review of Books, 21, no. 13 (1 July 1999), pp. 17-18.

Sailing Scientist” [A. Cook, Edmond Halley], London Review of Books, 20, no. 13 (2 July 1998), pp. 12-13.