A Visual History of the Future
Decades ago, artists’ imaginings formed high expectations about the world to come. Were these just fantasies–or was it the work of pioneers whose visions of the future actually helped to shape it?
Fowl Plague
Pandemics have threatened humanity in the past–and avian influenza may well be the next one due.
A Noxious Problem
Smog in cities and smoke in the home cause a huge range of short- and long-term health conditions. Why is the world’s biggest public health crisis only getting worse?
Beats: Disability
“Disable” is an active verb, and disability describes the social and environmental barriers that prevent access just as much as an individual body’s physical reality.
Beats: Health
Access to health care is as much a matter of public policy as it is the size of a person’s pocketbook; within a doctor’s office, many factors affect the quality of treatment.

Pandemic Proofing the World
An epidemiologist in Nairobi on the next Zika virus.
The Most Subversive Way to Travel
Perhaps the humble bicycle, a transportation mode that puts people in contact with one another and gives them back that control they seem to crave, offers a unique opportunity to remake those realities for the better.
