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April 25, 2025

Chaos Graph

People immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to.

A man looks through a keyhole to see an abstract graph on the other side of the door

Luisa Jung

Prologue

Prologue

A scientist who is used to organizing data starts tracking scientific meetings that seem to exist only on paper—meetings that might decide the fate of years of research. The NIH website shows one reality; the empty conference rooms tell another story. She graphs the chaos. (9 minutes)

We first heard about Annika Barber in a story by Stephanie M. Lee for The Chronicle.

Act Two

Solving For Where

A woman watches her partner get taken in handcuffs with no explanation. Days later, she spots him in the most unexpected place. The coordinates of her life suddenly don't make sense as she navigates the bewildering map of the US immigration system. (23 minutes)