The Story Collider

Keoni Mahelona leaves his home in Hawaii in pursuit of science, and after growing up wealthy, Chuck Collins's thinking is transformed by his work with mobile home park tenants.

Jean Ansolabehere is surprised to find herself falling in love with a woman in her lab, and as a child, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman is told that he's doomed by a low IQ score.

Anthropologist Andrew Oberle barely survives an attack by the chimpanzees he was studying, and science becomes a solace for cosmologist Renee Hlozek after her father dies suddenly.

A sudden illness threatens to derail Maia Pujara's neuroscience PhD, and after growing up in humble circumstances in St. Lucia, biologist Whitney Henry feels like an imposter at Harvard.

Actor Gail Thomas is invited to take part in a study testing mushrooms as treatment for depression in cancer survivors, and comedian Myq Kaplan experiments with ayahuasca.

Ecologist Cylita Guy finds unexpected adventure when she studies bats in the field, and honeybee nutritional ecologist Rachael Bonoan begins to worry she's allergic to the bees she studies.

Jean Le Bec travels abroad to find a solution to her dental problem, and science writer Michael Lemonick interviews an old friend who lost the ability to form memories.

Biochemist Katie Wu's mother won't believe she's lactose intolerant, and neuroscientist Oliver Vikbladh finds answers about his sister's disability.

Erica Silberman tries to care for her mother, who has Alzheimer's, and Pat Furlong searches for answers when her sons are diagnosed with a dangerous condition

Ornithologist Sam Snow finds his research comes at a cost, and biologist Megan Hatlen worries that she’ll never make a breakthrough in her research.

Cancer survivor Benjamin Rubenstein comes up with a creative solution to the after-effects of his treatment, and Abbas Mousa becomes a computer scientist to survive the Iraq war.

To escape his identity, Richard Cardillo joins a Catholic mission in Peru, where he becomes a community health organizer, and marine biologist Liz Neeley feels invisible to her coral conservation colleagues. 

Science journalist Eli Chen tries to combat her complicated romantic feelings with neuroscience, and Shannon Palus gets more than she expected when she takes an internship at a nuclear energy lab.

Biologist Maryam Zaringhalam is visiting her family's home country of Iran when the travel ban goes into effect, and Chernobyl survivor Janina Scarlet flees the Soviet Union with her family

Heather Abbott-Lyon and her husband, both chemists, try to balance their love and science, and Tracey Segarra must choose her newborn daughter's surgeon.

Neuroscientist Devon Collins encounters racism in academia, and OB-GYN Veronica Ades struggles to save a pregnant woman's life in South Sudan.

An unfortunate diagnosis sabotages Lindzi Wessel's new relationship, and marine biologist Skylar Bayer and first mate Thom Young fall in love aboard a boat.

Biologist Nadia Singh doesn’t want children, but her husband issues an ultimatum, and Kinari Webb’s philosophy as a scientist is shaped by her experience of the Berlin Wall.

As a schoolteacher, Jeff Braden gets a strange phone call from a renowned chimpanzee expert, and biologist Latasha Wright must confront her fear of open water when invited to visit a coral reef.

Science writer Ed Yong comes face to face with a wild rhino in South Africa, and scientist Gifford Wong must resuscitate a seal in Antarctica.

Pediatrician Ken Haller comes across a disturbing X-ray, and neuroscientist Maureen Boyle's relationship with her sister is complicated when she begins working on drug policy.

An acting exercise challenges a neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki's beliefs about attraction, and physicists Neer Asherie and Deborah Berebichez find love after thirteen years.

To make ends meet as a student, Cris Gray takes on a tough job in a university lab, and Raychelle Burks learns how to cope with death as a forensic chemist.

Raised a creationist, Adam Andis grows up to be an evolutionary biologist, and Angel Yau excels in sixth grade science with the help of her mom.

As a young bio major, Margot Wohl spends a summer with a sexist colleague, and physics student Stephanie Loeb is intimidated by her enigmatic project leader.

Frank Stabile struggles with compulsive behavior as a young scientist, and Deena Walker's dreams of a science career are hindered by her relationship.

Two native Louisianians, one a scientist and the other a fourth-generation fisherman, struggle with the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on their lives.

A 13-year-old seeks answers about the scientific terms he hears at school, and a scientist struggles to please his dad

Yael Fitzpatrick and her friends try to save a sea turtle, and Dawn Wright finds she's the only black woman on a two-month voyage aboard a scientific drill vessel.

Expert in maternal and infant health Amy Brown confronts the reality behind her research, and a first-grade Cassie Soliday strives to be one of the "smart kids."

12-year-old Jirard Khalil's mother suddenly starts acting strangely, and a teacher’s social experiment traps fifth-grade Ben Lillie in an ethical dilemma.

ER doctor Bess Stillman treats a patient with an interesting dilemma, and teenage Brendan Bane becomes obsessed with collecting poisonous pets.

Developmental biologist Pamela Feliciano tries to understand her autistic son, and science writer Katharine Gammon thinks she's gone into labor though her doctor says she hasn't.

As a college student Sarah Demers gets a job working on a particle detector, and Katy Rodriguez-Wimberley tries to find her place after being discouraged from science.

Bryony Tilsley's family faces a challenge while planning an astronomy event, and David Baron Eclipse chaser David Baron discovers the real magic behind a total solar eclipse.

Environmental engineer Siddhartha Roy discovers unsafe water in Flint, Michigan, and sociologist Ada Cheng studies human rights violations in Hong Kong.

Geneticist Sebastian Alvarado tries to recreate comic-book science, and third-grader Danny Artese decides to become a plant.

Blind athlete Simon Wheatcroft finds a way to run marathons by himself, and computer science student Dale Markowitz goes all-in on an ambitious project.

Neuroscientist Qi Lin can’t escape her scientific mindset, and attorney Michael Perlin makes a startling discovery while interviewing prisoners who are unfit to stand trial.

Journalist Alok Jha is trapped in the ice off the coast of Antarctica, and neuroscientist Rita Tavares attempts to analyze her romantic problems with science.

Ecologist Evon Hekkala must confront a man-eating croc, and criminologist Stan Stojkovic receives a letter from a convicted murderer.

Marine biology grad student Liz Neeley and criminologist Heith Copes confront the messy reality of the field.

Naturalist Helen Cheng leaves Brooklyn for her first experience in the field, and ecologist Thom Young-Bayer decides to leave science.

Drew Prochaska attempts to confront his fear of sharks, and attorney Heather Cucolo navigates the complicated psychology surrounding sex offenders.

Mark Pagán finds an unconventional solution to his phobia, and military surgeon Rob Lim must operate during a sandstorm in Iraq.

Scientist Faith Dukes wonders if there’s something wrong with her when she fails to couple up, and Cara Gael O'Regan is startled when she tests positive for syphilis.

Bri Riggio struggles to understand the psychology behind her eating disorder, and expert in global risk Seth Baum tries to find a solution to the threat of nuclear winter.

Molecular biologist Maryam Zaringhalam discovers something strange about her sense of smell, and Hillary Savoie’s daughter is born with a rare genetic mutation.

Bioethicist Elizabeth Yuko uses her science training to report a sexual assault, and engineer Selam Gano returns to her father’s village in Ethiopia for a water project.

Science communicator Brian Mackenwells tries to smuggle something onto the vomit comet, and comedian Jess Thom learns the best way to explain her Tourette's to someone new. 

Journalist Erika Check Hayden travels to Sierra Leone to report on Ebola, and psychologist Ali Mattu suffers from paralyzing social anxiety as a child.