Jeffrey C. Hall

Built World

Emeritus professor, Brandeis University

For most of human history, nightfall meant the end of productive labor. The industrial revolution and the electric lightbulb reversed that arrangement, turning overnight factory shifts into a pillar of modern manufacturing. But a quieter reversal has been underway for decades. Labor regulations, mounting health evidence, and machines that can run in the dark without human hands are steadily reducing the share of workers toiling at night.

Updated May 30