Ben Crair
The New Yorker
Berlin, BE, Germany
Contact Ben
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Ben:
The Fossil Flowers That Rewrote the History of Life
Ben Crair on the paleobotanist Else Marie Friis and the history of angiosperm, or flowering plants—and what fossils could teach us about the origins of our world. → Read More
The Bizarre Bird That’s Breaking the Tree of Life
Ben Crair on the hoatzin, the bird that is seemingly defying the concept behind the tree of life; B10K, a research group that is trying to sequence the genome of every species of bird; and DNA, which is revealing that biological trees may actually be more complex than was previously thought. → Read More
The Night the Zoo Burned
Ben Crair writes about a fire at the Krefeld Zoo, in Germany, that burned down its ape house on the first day of 2020, and how the zoo's director, Wolfgang Dressen, planned to rebuild. → Read More
The Strangeness of Our Animal Bonds
Ben Crair asks us to consider birds and other animals not merely in terms of what it means to be human but in terms of what it means to be themselves. → Read More
Thieves Are Breaking Into European Zoos and Stealing Rare Animals
Officials at the European zoos that have been targeted think organized crime is to blame. → Read More
The Fate of a Leg of a Statue of Saddam Hussein
Ben Crair on the German antiques dealer Kai Kobold, who recently sold what he believes to be the left leg of the famous toppled statue of Saddam Hussein. → Read More
Love the Fig
Although many people dismiss it as a geriatric delicacy, it is a biological and evolutionary wonder. → Read More
Love the Fig
Although many people dismiss it as a geriatric delicacy, it is a biological and evolutionary wonder. → Read More
Love the Fig
Although many people dismiss it as a geriatric delicacy, it is a biological and evolutionary wonder. → Read More
The Cure For Fear
Scientists have discovered a radical new way to treat our most traumatic memories. → Read More
What’s a Species, Anyways?
The search for the red wolf’s origins have led scientists to a new theory about how evolution actually works. → Read More
The Supreme Court Just Approved a Lethal Injection Drug that No One Understands
Lethal injection is often beyond the expertise of nearly everyone who participates in it. → Read More
Lethal Entanglements
Lethal injection was supposed to be a cleaner, more humane version of capital punishement. Over the past five years, it has become a messy, largely unmonitored testing ground for toxic drugs. → Read More
Saving Summer's Trashiest Cocktail: Make Way for the $21 Long Island Ice Tea
Eleven Madison Park is either a very good restaurant or the absolute best restaurant in New York City. It depends on whom you ask. But don't ask me: I've only had a drink at Eleven Madison Park, and that drink ... → Read More
English Monarch Signatures, Ranked
28. Edward VI (1547-1553): 27. Philip (1554-1558): 26. George IV(1820-1830): 25. Henry IV (1399-1413): 24. Richard II (1377-1399): 23. Anne (1702-1714): 22. Henry VIII (1509-1547): 21. Henry VII (1485-1509): 20. Edward IV (1461-1470; 1471-1483): 19. James II (1685-1688): 18. ... → Read More
Daryl Richardson's Dallas World Aquarium Causes Zoo Controversy
Daryl Richardson built a jungle in the heart of Dallas and filled it with exotic creatures. No one asked any questions—until he set his sights on the world’s rarest sloth. → Read More
Exclusive Emails Show Ohio Was Worried About Its Untested Execution Drugs
Five years before Arizona took two hours to execute an inmate, officials in Ohio worried the same drugs would cause prisoners to "gasp" and "hyperventilate"—and used them anyway. → Read More
2014 Is Already the Worst Year in the History of Lethal Injection
On Wednesday, an Arizona inmate took nearly two hours to die. Another day, another problematic execution.... → Read More
Exclusive Photos from a Botched Lethal Injection
In 2006, mistakes in the Florida death chamber inflicted chemical burns on a prisoner and may have suffocated him to death. → Read More
Photos from a Botched Lethal Injection
In 2006, mistakes in the Florida death chamber inflicted chemical burns on a prisoner and may have suffocated him to death. → Read More