The Atavist Magazine

“That’s Somebody’s Son”

When their sons began to suffer from profound mental illness, these Colorado women learned to lean on each other.

The Extremist in the Family

The Kerrs were devoted to one another and to their faith. But when one of their own rejected modern medicine in the name of God, they faced a dire question: What if her children ever needed a doctor to save their lives?

Toxic Lies: The Whistleblowers Who Exposed Decades of Nuclear Lies

In Paducah, Kentucky, workers at a revered uranium-enrichment plant were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Management assured them nothing was wrong. Then four friends risked everything to reveal the truth.

You Can Run

When their parents ripped two young sisters from their privileged lives, gave them fake names, and took them on the lam, they thought it was because their father was in trouble with the IRS. It would be years before they learned the truth about his life of crime.

The Buffalo Raiders

With thousands of soldiers dying in Vietnam, a group of friends in New York devised a plan to save lives.

A Hollywood Ending

We hear about the shootings that grab headlines, but what about those that don’t?

Big Game

The San Luis Valley was a wildlife poacher’s paradise. Then George Morrison arrived.

Master and Commander

When a scraggly band of folk musicians arrived to tour the UK, residents of a small Welsh town were enamored—until they learned that the band's leader ruled with an iron fist.

“There Will Be No Mercy”

When Ethiopia’s government launched a brutal two-year war in Tigray, the region’s largest hospital was overrun with victims. The medical staff risked everything to treat the wounded—and believe the world ignored a genocide.

14,445 and Counting

Inside a Texas nurse’s quest to document the life and death of every woman killed by a man in America.

American Hindenburg

In the early days of flight, airships were hailed as the future of war. Then disaster struck the USS Akron.

From Antarctica with Love

Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s doomed journey to Antarctica captivated the world. But hidden within the legend was a story that has never been told—a love affair between two of the crew who survived.

The Balloon that Fell from the Sky

Fifteen teams lifted off from Switzerland in gas ballooning’s most audacious race. Three days later, two of them drifted into Belarusian airspace—but only one would survive.

The Eagle Hunters of Kyrgyzstan

In the mountains of Central Asia, a small group of outdoorsmen are keeping an ancient tradition alive.

All That Glitters

His alleged victims say he bribed New York Police Department officials, stole millions in diamonds, and persuaded Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Kim Kardashian to shill for a scam cryptocurrency. So why is Jona Rechnitz still free?

The Longest Journey

Lena Rowat embarked on what many considered an impossible expedition across the Coast Range mountains to quiet her demons. But she only began to silence them once she lost the love of her young life.

Conversations with a Hit Man

A former FBI agent traveled to Louisiana to ask a hired killer about a murder that haunted him. Then Larry Thompson started talking about a different case altogether.

The Talented Mr. Bruseaux

He made his name in Chicago investigating race riots, solving crimes, and exposing corruption. But America’s first Black private detective was hiding secrets of his own.

I’ve Gone to Look for America

Conversations and revelations about an ailing nation along Interstate 95.

The Blue Book Burglar

The 'Social Register' was a who’s who of America’s rich and powerful—the heirs of robber barons, scions of political dynasties, and descendants of 'Mayflower' passengers. It was also the perfect hit list for the country’s hardest-working art thief.