Read my work at The Washington Post here.
Science Writing Portfolio
2023
A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry.
The Washington Post | June 1, 2023 | pdf
Why birds and their songs are good for our mental health
The Washington Post | May 18, 2023
Sorry, weed probably does not make you more creative
The Washington Post | April 20, 2023
What SuperAgers show us about longevity, cognitive health as we age
The Washington Post | April 13, 2023
What does ASMR do to your brain? Watch these videos and find out.
The Washington Post | March 31, 2023
5-minute breathing exercises can improve your mood and reduce anxiety
The Washington Post | March 16, 2023
Science of forgetting: Why we’re already losing our pandemic memories
The Washington Post | March 13, 2023 (pdf)
How inflammation in the body may explain depression in the brain
The Washington Post | February 23, 2023
Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia: What are the symptoms of FTD?
The Washington Post | February 16, 2023
Racism takes a toll on the brain, research shows
The Washington Post | February 16, 2023
The power of social touch: How a loving caress really can ease anxiety
The Washington Post | February 9, 2023
I have seasonal depression and a love-hate relationship with my light box
The Washington Post | January 19, 2023
Why do we get our best ideas in the shower?
The Washington Post | January 12, 2023 (pdf)
What causes your brain to procrastinate and how to face it
The Washington Post | January 5, 2023
2022
Why do people like being tipsy? Here’s how alcohol affects the brain.
The Washington Post | December 29, 2022
How to be alone with your thoughts
The Washington Post | December 22, 2022
Self-esteem of sports fans is linked to their team, research shows
The Washington Post | December 15, 2022
What is stiff-person syndrome? Celine Dion reveals rare condition.
The Washington Post | December 8, 2022
7 books about the brain that will delight, inspire and make you think
The Washington Post | December 8, 2022
Why falling asleep with the lights on is bad for your health
The Washington Post | December 1, 2022
Showing gratitude is good for all of us, so why don’t we give thanks more?
The Washington Post | November 24, 2022
Want to feel happier? Try snacking on joy.
The Washington Post | November 17, 2022 (pdf)
Why do our brains believe lies?
The Washington Post | November 3, 2022
Why we like scary things: The science of recreational fear
The Washington Post | October 27, 2022
Hearing loss is a major risk factor for dementia. Hearing aids can help.
The Washington Post | October 20, 2022
When you feel sick, you can thank your brain – it’s helping you heal
The Washington Post | October 13, 2022
It’s never ‘just’ a concussion. Your brain is vulnerable and hurting.
The Washington Post | October 5, 2022
The brain loves a challenge. Here’s why.
The Washington Post | September 29, 2022
Boredom is a warning sign. Here’s what it’s telling you.
The Washington Post | September 22, 2022
Why it is awesome that your brain can experience awe
The Washington Post | September 15, 2022 (pdf)
Melting Sea Ice May Mean the End of Driftwood in Iceland
Eos | August 25, 2022 (republished in Hakai Magazine)
Fiona Lo: A “Really Long, Convoluted Path” to Health
Eos | July 25, 2022
Benjamin Freeman: Slowing Birds’ “Escalator to Extinction”
Eos | July 25, 2022
The Secret to an Elephant’s Trunk Is Skin Deep
The New York Times | July 18, 2022 (also in print July 19, 2022)
Remember Pizza Rat? Meet Pollinator Rat
The New York Times | June 22, 2022 (also in print June 28, 2022)
This Optical Illusion Has a Revelation About Your Brain and Eyes
The New York Times | June 6, 2022 (also in print June 7, 2022)
Indoor Air Pollution in the Time of Coronavirus
Eos | May 31, 2022
New Tech Conveys Emotional Touch Long-Distance
Scientific American | May 1, 2022 (also in May print issue)
The Mental Health Benefits of Reading
Psychology Today (for IAM Lab) | March 16, 2022
What a huge lily pad can teach us about building design
National Geographic | March 8, 2022
Long-Term Planning For Deep-time Labs
Eos | February 22, 2022
Neuroarts: An Emerging Field with a Plan to Transform Health
Psychology Today (for IAM Lab) | February 9, 2022
Mountains Sway to the Seismic Song of Earth
Eos | February 1, 2022
We 'Click' Better With Others When Conversations Flow More Quickly
New Scientist | January 28, 2022
2021
Veterans Use Creative Forces to Heal Invisible Wounds of War
Psychology Today (for IAM Lab) | November 10, 2021
Leaky Pipes Are Dosing Baltimore’s Waterways with Drugs
Eos | October 22, 2021
Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Chapter Dateline Award, Finalist (Magazine, Non-Breaking News)
Lasers Have the Makings of a 21st-Century Geoscience Tool
Eos | October 15, 2021
Boosting Vaccine Confidence With the Arts
International Arts + Mind Lab | September 21, 2021
State-of-the-Art Technology, Serendipity, and Secrets of Stonehenge
Eos | September 8, 2021 (also translated into Spanish with Planeteando)
Looks Like Bird Dung. But It’s Really a Predatory Spider.
The New York Times | August 24, 2021 (in print August 31, 2021)
Thieving Honeybees Offer a Glimpse of Flowers’ Evolutionary Origins
New Scientist | August 24, 2021 (in print August 28, 2028: pdf here)
Cosmological Tool Helps Archaeologists Map Earthly Tombs
Eos | August 18, 2021
A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’ Reveals Its Genetic Secrets
The New York Times | July 31, 2021 (in print August 3, 2021)
How an Elephant Trunk Uses Suction Power
The New York Times | July 25, 2021 (in print in Sunday edition’s NYT Kids section)
Dog, Yawn It!
Discover Magazine | In print June 2021 issue
Norman Galinsky Draws Stillness and Energy from Geometric Art
International Arts + Mind Lab | June 29, 2021
Elephant Trunks: Is There Anything They Can’t Do?
The New York Times | June 1, 2021 (in print on June 13, 2021; featured in NYT’s Learning Network on September 10, 2021)
Excellence in Craft Award Winner, Outdoor Writers Association of America, 3rd place in the Newspaper/Conservation or Nature Category
A New Tool May Make Geological Microscopy Data More Accessible
Eos | May 27, 2021 (also in August 2021 Eos magazine print issue)
At Mating Time, These Ants Carry Their Young Queen to a Neighbor’s Nest
The New York Times | May 13, 2021
Rising Sea Levels Bring a Tidal Change to Tourism
Eos | April 22, 2021
More Than Words: Why Poetry is Good for Our Health
International Arts + Mind Lab | March 11, 2021
Where Do People Fit into a Global Hazard Model?
Eos | February 23, 2021
Octopuses Have a Secret Sense to Keep Their 8 Arms Out of Trouble
The New York Times | February 20, 2021 (also published in print on March 2, 2021)
These Lizards Have a Hot Trick to Escape Hungry Snakes
The New York Times | February 3, 2021 (also published in print on Feb. 9, 2021)
Best Shortform Science Writing, Honorable Mention for Single Study Deep Dives (601–1200 words), SciShortForm January-June 2021
Drought, Not War, Felled Some Ancient Asian Civilizations
Eos | January 28, 2021 (also published in the April 2021 issue of Eos print magazine)
Seabirds raise fewer chicks as the pandemic keeps tourists away
New Scientist | January 14, 2021 (pdf here)
2020
How Video Games Can Be a Healthy Escape During Lockdown
International Arts + Mind Lab | November 18, 2020
Don't Worry If You Can't Sleep Through the Night. For Thousands of Years, Humans Slept in Two Shifts
Discover | November 17, 2020
Yes, Naps Are Good for You — If You Do It Right
Discover | November 12, 2020
Protected Areas Are Not Safe from Climate Change
Eos | November 12, 2020
Arts in the Aftermath: Helping Kids Heal From Natural Disasters
International Arts + Mind Lab | October 26, 2020
Mentorship During a Pandemic: Transitions from Lab and Sea to Virtual
Eos | October 13, 2020 (also published in the November/December 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
Q&A with Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David Linden, on the science of human individuality and his book ‘Unique’
Baltimore Fishbowl | October 2, 2020
Building More Equitable Communities with Creative Placemaking
International Arts + Mind Lab | September 23, 2020
The Matador in Your Fish Tank
Scientific American | August 28, 2020 (also published in Scientific American’s 175th Anniversary issue in September 2020)
Best Shortform Science Writing, “Top Pick” for Short Shorts (<600 word stories), SciShorform January-June 2020
Seal lice can survive the pressure found 4000 metres under the sea
New Scientist | July 30, 2020 (pdf here)
Accessibility and Fieldwork in the Time of Coronavirus
Eos | July 23, 2020
A Golden Opportunity to Save Shwedagon Pagoda’s Acclaimed Dome
Eos | July 10, 2020 (also published in the September 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
Just Dance: A Prescription for Mental Wellbeing
International Arts + Mind Lab | June 30, 2020
The Future of Big Data May Lie in Tiny Magnets
Eos | June 2, 2020 (also published in the August 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
Why a Dose of Nature Is Essential to Your Mental Health
International Arts + Mind Lab | May 22, 2020
5 Weekend Art Activities to Bust Quarantine Fatigue
International Arts + Mind Lab | May 21, 2020
Humans Colonized Polynesia Much Earlier Than Previously Thought
Eos | May 13, 2020 (also published in the July 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
Why Is Everyone Baking and Gardening Under Lockdown?
International Arts + Mind Lab | May 7, 2020
Groundwater Is the “Hidden Connection” Between Land and Sea
Eos | April 28, 2020 (also translated into Spanish for Planeteando)
Can a Jam Session Help Healthcare Workers Battle Burnout?
International Arts + Mind Lab | April 24, 2020
Frozen Poop Knives Don't Work Very Well, in Case You Were Wondering
Discover | April 23, 2020 (also published in the May 2020 issue of Discover Magazine)
Soap, Duration and Water Temperature: What Matters and What Doesn’t When It Comes to Good Hand-Washing
Discover | March 27, 2020 (also published in the July 2020 issue of Discover Magazine)
Mapping Lightning Strikes from Space
Eos | March 13, 2020 (also published in the May 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
Combining AI and Analog Forecasting to Predict Extreme Weather
Eos | March 4, 2020
How the Cold Climate Shaped Scotland’s Political Climate
Eos | February 4, 2020
How Creative Forces Work Together to Heal the Military Using the Arts
International Arts + Mind Lab | January 22, 2020
2019
The Brain Senses Touch beyond the Body
Scientific American | December 23, 2019
Heat Waves Born of Earth and Sky
American Geophysical Union’s Eos | December 20, 2019
A Dirty Truth: Humans Began Accelerating Soil Erosion 4,000 Years Ago
American Geophysical Union’s Eos | December 10, 2019 (also published in the February 2020 issue of Eos print magazine)
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall
American Geophysical Union’s Eos | October 18, 2019 (also published in the Dec. 2019 issue of the Eos print magazine)
Marilyn Ness and “Charm City”: The Power of Film for Change
International Arts + Mind Lab | November 20, 2019
Dialog Series: A State of the Union on Arts in Health and What It Means for Hopkins
International Arts + Mind Lab | October 19, 2019
IAM Lab and Neuroaesthetics Partners Featured in Johns Hopkins Magazine
International Arts + Mind Lab | September 24, 2019
Bringing Harmony to the Brain: The Neuroscience of Music and Parkinson’s Disease
International Arts + Mind Lab | September 11, 2019
How I learned to stop worrying about grad school* and to love climbing rocks
ASBMB Today | January 1, 2019