(Sub)Culture Features

When the world suddenly changed back in March due to COVID-19 — some have even been so bold as to say the world “stopped” — and governments, scientists, doctors, emergency workers, and everyday people banded together to combat the horrible spread of this latest virus, I also felt a dizzying …

As the COVID-19 virus spreads, store shelves have emptied of hand sanitizer, creating shortages for health care workers, first responders, and the general public. Some individuals and businesses are responding to the shortage with price gouging, but Old Fourth Distillery in the historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta, has …

“YouTube at 15” is our package of stories to celebrate the streaming site’s anniversary. It’s hard to imagine, but there really was a time before makeup tutorials, conspiracy explainers, on-demand music videos — really, viral videos at large. Since it’s become such a ubiquitous part of culture, we set out …

From the Illuminati to the freemasons to QAnon, there’s no shortage of conspiracy theories trying to explain how power is accumulated and shared in Washington, D.C. But the wide-ranging network of politicians, world leaders, and men of faith that make up the Fellowship isn’t mere conspiracy theory: it’s 100 percent …

Jessica Biel is many things: actor, mom, wife to Justin Timberlake, consummate ab-shower, purveyor of the theory that being hotter than Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman has ruined her career. This week, however, the world became aware of another credential on Biel’s resume: anti-vaccine activist. In an Instagram post, prominent …

Teah Banks was born into an evangelical Christian sect called the Radio Church of God. Founded in the 1930s by an advertising sales representative turned minister, the insular group promoted an ultra-fundamentalist reading of the Old Testament, eschewing divorce, premarital sex and even wearing makeup. “It was a super closed …

When biomedical engineer Robert Gorkin saw the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2013 call for submissions for a next-generation condom, he was hardly a contraceptive innovator. Rather, his work focused on 3D-printing organs and prosthetics. But when he reviewed the initiative’s goals — funding would be awarded to applicants who …

Excerpted from the book Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power by Anna Merlan, published by Metropolitan Books. Copyright © 2019 by Anna Merlan. Reprinted with permission. Available for purchase here. “The white majority are fed up with all of these lying, cheating, thieving, war-mongering, …

Climbing up into the seat of her first big rig truck, author Anne Balay felt powerful instead of angry. Semis tower menacingly above all other vehicles. Looking out over the dashboard can make you feel invincible in ways most jobs can’t compete with. Even with a Ph.D. in English from …