Was the Stanford Prison Experiment a sham? Our Q&A with the writer who exposed the celebrated study Journalist Ben Blum cites new evidence that points to choreographed results and pre-ordained conclusions Conducted during the summer of 1971, the Stanford Prison Experiment was often criticized for its methods, but ultimately lauded for its conclusions about human nature. (Courtesy of the Stanford Historical Photograph Collection) You don’t need a psychology degree to have heard about ...

Meet the investigative journalist who pulled back the curtain on Silicon Valley’s Theranos fraud Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou discusses his new book — Bad Blood; a three-year chronicle of Elizabeth Holmes’s tech charlatanism (Original illustration for The Six Fifty by Kaz Palladino/Awkward Affections) Elizabeth Holmes had all the trappings of a successful startup entrepreneur. At age 9, she claimed she’d rather be a billionaire than be president, suggesting that the former holds more power. At ...

Discussing the unsavory politics of sweet things with the one and only Professor of Chocolate Ahead of her upcoming Peninsula talk, author Kristy Leissle clues us in to the bitter billion dollar industry of Cocoa. Via Flickr Commons We all know how the story goes. Seated in a 1500s Aztec paradise, Conquistador Don Hernan Cortes drank bitter xocoatl from a golden chalice. Intrigued by the frothy liquid’s alleged magical properties, he carried raw cacao beans ...