Selected Writing
The dark and mysterious origins of Denmark’s psychiatric brain collection
For years, there had been whispers. Rumors swirled; stories exchanged. It wasn’t a secret, but it also wasn’t openly discussed, adding to a legend almost too incredible to believe. Yet those who knew the truth wanted it out. Tell everyone our story, they said, about the brains in the basement.
Generation Apollo
They are the names written in history books: Armstrong, Aldrin, Lovell, Chaffee, Bean, Cernan, Anders, Griffin, Carr. Their stories of NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and '70s are the stuff of legend and lore. The telling has mostly come from the astronauts themselves, or members of Mission Control, and occasionally from the astronauts' spouses. But there was another group who had a front row seat to history. This is the first of a two-part story on the history of the space race as seen by 11 children of Apollo astronauts and flight directors. The second part includes their accounts of the first men on the moon, the near disaster of Apollo 13 and the lasting impact of their witnessing history so personally.
From ketchup to ice cream cones:
How World Expos have shaped food culture
H.J. Heinz could not believe it. The owner of a burgeoning food brand had set up the largest commercial food exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair to display the best of what his company had to offer. Except barely anyone was coming by to see it.
Guest: Hear-Tell podcast
Episode 4: Samantha Bresnahan, "In the Blood, Flowers Bloom"
2018 MFA graduate Samantha Bresnahan reads a chapter, “The Return,” from her book “In the Blood, Flowers Bloom,” which is currently seeking a publisher. The story follows American and Japanese veterans of Iwo Jima during World War II and how the keepsakes that soldiers took from enemies kept the battle alive long after the fighting stopped. Bresnahan’s story concerns the trauma of war, but is ultimately about the necessity of reconciliation and forgiveness, no matter how long that takes.
Covering the coronavirus pandemic: CNN correspondents reflect on how we got here
From the beginning, CNN journalists have covered this unprecedented story from all corners of the globe. Three months since we heard the first whispers of a strange respiratory illness emerging in China, this is the story of a story -- from those who have witnessed and reported on it firsthand.
Why Thailand is putting its Buddhist monks on a diet
More than 90% of Thailand's population follows Buddhism and the monks here are held in high regard, but there is growing concern about their health: Thailand's monks are gaining too much weight.
Meet Belfast’s ‘dementia-friendly’ barber
In his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Lenny White gathers up his supplies for the day: a red, white and blue striped barber pole, hair clippers and a table-top jukebox -- all the makings of a pop-up barbershop, catered to a very special group of clients. White is known as the "dementia-friendly barber." Along with his assistant, Jonathan Wray, he visits care homes across Northern Ireland to cut the hair of men living with dementia.
In the fight for her life, young professional runner isn’t slowing down
Gabriele Grunewald is much like many young 30-somethings: She loves her dog, married her college sweetheart, enjoys the coffee shop around the corner from her Minneapolis apartment and likes to explore the trendy new restaurants and brewpubs around town. But in one crucial way, she stands apart, though not alone. She is battling an extremely rare cancer. And it is not slowing her down.
Hillsborough: 96 soccer fans unlawfully killed, jury finds
In his office in Yorkshire, Trevor Hicks takes a worn yellow envelope out of a binder. He carefully folds back the flap, pulling out a pair of gold hoop earrings and a small, square piece of paper. The items belonged to his youngest daughter, and they are all he has left from the day everything changed. He looks at the crinkled piece of paper that was her match ticket. "Well it was a death pass, wasn't it, in the end?" he says quietly.
The key to curing disease could lie in Iceland’s genes
The freezer sits behind a heavy door in the basement of an unassuming building on the campus of the University of Iceland. It feels much colder than it looks; inside, the temperature is minus-15 degrees Fahrenheit, but the air is so dry, you can't see your breath. Stored in that freezer are vials and vials of blood, as far as the eye can see, 500,000 samples from 150,000 people. Almost half of Iceland's population is represented in that freezer, and their blood could help scientists crack codes for a range of issues, from treating disease to understanding human intelligence. The key lies in their DNA.
This man’s blood has saved the lives of two million babies
On the surface, James Harrison is just an average guy. He loves his daughter and grandchildren, collects stamps, and goes for walks near his home on Australia's central coast. But it's what's under the surface that makes him extraordinary -- specifically, what's flowing in his veins.
Arctic waters could hold secret to creating life-saving drugs
Above the Arctic Circle in the Lyngen Fjord of northern Norway, researchers on the "Helmer Hanssen" are searching for the next generation of antibiotics. In these sea organisms, they hope, are new bacteria to become those drugs.
Branded a rebel: Cricket’s forgotten men
It is a Sunday night in Bridgetown, Barbados. Here on this Caribbean island, and on the others that make up what's known as the West Indies, life revolves around one thing -- cricket. On this night, locals gather at historic Kensington Oval, which hosted the 2007 World Cup final. There are no national teams on display this time, but there is a local trophy up for grabs. It's enough to draw a large crowd of boisterous fans. In the concourse, a familiar face makes his way through the crowd. He is Franklyn Stephenson, and he is the best to have never played for the West Indies, all because of one decision he and his teammates made 30 years ago.