Chiara Eisner

is a multimedia investigative journalist based in South Carolina, reporting for The State. She previously reported on science for The Economist from London, criminal justice for The Marshall Project from Manhattan,and the 2019 presidential elections for Argentina's national paper, Clarín, from Buenos Aires. As a freelancer, she covered environmental, prison, technology, health, and business stories for The Marshall Project, WIRED, Scientific American, The Economist, and others. She is Argentine-American and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Her training is in public health, infectious disease, and investigative journalism: Eisner completed a Master's in Investigative Reporting at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Email: eisnerchiara@gmail.com

The Economist •

The rise of buildings for the deaf and blind

For The Economist's Christmas Special Edition, the only double edition of the magazine, I reported on how architects are adapting to the need for more multisensory design. A number of firms have started to prioritize the needs of people with a wide range of sensory abilities. In doing so, they've embraced new technology, and a different vision of architecture--one that considers a building’s acoustics, lighting, tactility and smell.
The Boston Globe •

Medical community struggles with own opioid dilemma: How to heal the healers?

Published on the front page of The Boston Globe: Medical professionals are far from immune to opioid misuse. In fact, due to their easy access to pain medication and the high stress levels that come with treating patients, they may be especially susceptible. But many clinicians say they are often denied access to medication approved to help them recover from opioid addiction, precisely because they practice medicine.
The Marshall Project •

When People with Intellectual Disabilities Are Punished, Parents Pay the Price

A sex offense conviction can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when the convicted is someone with an intellectual disability, who can’t understand and comply with the rules and restrictions of their sentences, it falls on the guardians to suffer the financial, social and psychological burdens of the crimes. I reported the story for The Marshall Project, and shot the photography.
The Economist •

Scientific research on the coronavirus is being released in a torrent

More than 7,000 papers on the pandemic—covering everything from virology to epidemiology—have been published in the past three months. Much of it is being done differently. There's less peer review and more speed, which is overwhelmingly a good thing. Leaders need quick answers to direct policy and better contain the new virus. But publishers have historically done a bad job at retracting false science, which needs to be watched as it can feed misinformation. A collaboration with reporter Alok Jha, this was the lead note in the science and technology section of the May 9 2020 edition of The Economist and was featured on the cover.
The Boston Globe •

Millions of voters’ personal information is being bought and sold on the dark web

The day after the voting technology failure in Iowa, the Globe published my story highlighting another aspect of the complexities and unknowns related to election technology: A massive dataset of voter registration information from 81 million Americans has been sold dozens of times on dark markets, sparking fears of identity theft and fraud. Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea told me keeping voter registration information accessible allows the public to hold officials to account. I covered the both sides of the evolving story.
The Economist •

How humans got bigger brains

My lead article for the science and technology section was featured on the cover of The Economist. I reported on the publication of two studies which, added together, form an important paragraph in the story of the human brain. Both concerned a version of a gene called NOTCH2, which has been known for some time to be involved in embryonic development. Both were supported by experiments which suggest that a change in the gene was crucial to the emergence of the big brains which distinguish human beings from all other living animal species.
The Economist, Babbage podcast •

Celiac disease patients could soon have access to their first-ever FDA-approved drugs

I reported and helped produce this radio story for The Economist's podcast, which starts at time 6:30. Celiac disease is misunderstood and underserved by pharma—zero medications are approved for celiacs by the FDA, although over 3 million Americans suffer. I talked to patients and scientists to understand progress with new therapies, and the reason for the lag in development.
The Economist •

Arctic ice brings an understanding of ancient Europe’s economy

Greenland's icy mountains are not an obvious place to search for an archive of economic history, but a study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that they provide one. Joseph McConnell of the Desert Research Institute, in Reno, Nevada, and his colleagues have tracked economic activity in Europe and the Mediterranean over the centuries by measuring variations in the amount of lead in a core of Greenlandic ice. For The Economist's science and technology desk.
Jalopnik •

How Will Arctic Seaports Survive If The Cruise Industry Doesn't? Let Vladimir Putin Explain.

Most places that built their economies around catering to cruise ship passengers are suffering. Stay-at-home orders intended to contain the spread of COVID-19 have cancelled vacations around the world. But Arctic seaports like the popular tourist destination of Tromsø, Norway are still busy, despite the disappearance of the cruise ships that usually stop by every month. I reported on why they're thriving -- and the environmental consequences of a growing shipping industry for the Arctic ecosystem.
The Economist •

IVF may bring northern white rhinos back from the brink of extinction

Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros on Earth, died in March. He is survived by two females, Najin and her daughter Fatu, who live in a conservancy in Kenya. This pair (pictured) are thus the only remaining members of the world’s most endangered subspecies of mammal. But all might not yet be lost. Thomas Hildebrandt of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, in collaboration with Avantea, a biotechnology company in Cremona, Italy, is proposing heroic measures to keep the subspecies alive. For The Economist's science and technology desk.
Clarin •

Expertos internacionales predicen que Alberto Fernández incrementará las relaciones con China

For Argentina's largest media company and most-read paper, in Spanish, I broke the news that over the 12 years of Cristina Kirchner and Mauricio Macri’s presidencies, the two cultivated a financial relationship of swaps, loans, and packages worth over 57 billion dollars with China. I also broke that following the election of president Alberto Fernández, a new belt and road deal with China was expected.
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