Guest Writer

Alexandra Witze

Contributing Correspondent

Alexandra Witze is a contributing correspondent based in Boulder, Colorado. Among other exotic locales, her reporting has taken her to Maya ruins in the jungles of Guatemala, among rotting corpses at the University of Tennessee's legendary "Body Farm," and to a floating sea-ice camp at the North Pole. She has a bachelor's degree in geology from MIT and a graduate certification in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Among her honors are the Science-in-Society award from the National Association of Science Writers (shared with Tom Siegfried), and the American Geophysical Union's award for feature journalism.

Follow her on Twitter: @alexwitze

Alexandra Witze's Articles
Most Popular Newest Oldest

Feature

The Southern Ocean may be less of a carbon sink than we thought

The Southern Ocean’s ability to suck up much of the carbon that humans pump into the atmosphere is in question.

2 weeks ago

Climate,
Earth,
Oceans
Feature

How mammoths competed with other animals and lost

Mammoths, mastodons and other ancient elephants were wiped out at the end of the last ice age by climate change and spear-wielding humans.

7 months ago

Ecosystems,
Archaeology,
Paleontology
Feature

More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. That number will only grow.

By 2050, half the world’s population may no longer have safe water to drink or grow food. What then?

10 months ago

Conservation,
Climate,
Earth
Science Visualized

Here’s a look at the world’s deadliest volcanoes — and the ways they kill

Scientists gathered data on nearly 280,000 global volcano deaths from 1500 to 2017 and sorted fatalities by cause of death, such as lava flows or gas.

1 year ago

Earth,
Health
Feature

Flying insects tell tales of long-distance migrations

Researchers are asking big questions about animal movements and pest control by tracking tiny insects in flight.

1 year ago

Animals,
Ecology
Feature

What the Pliocene epoch can teach us about future warming on Earth

By simulating the changes that occurred during the warm Pliocene epoch, researchers are trying to predict Earth’s future hundreds of years from now.

1 year ago

Earth,
Climate
Feature

Luhan Yang strives to make pig organs safe for human transplants

A bold approach to genome editing by biologist Luhan Yang could alleviate the shortage of organs and ease human suffering.

1 year ago

Biomedicine,
Cells,
Genetics,

Scientists to Watch 2017
Feature

How earthquake scientists eavesdrop on North Korea’s nuclear blasts

Researchers monitor the power and location of underground nuclear weapons testing by North Korea.

1 year ago

Earth
Feature

Lakes worldwide feel the heat from climate change

Lakes worldwide are warming with consequences for every part of the food web, from algae, to walleye, to freshwater seals.

2 years ago

Climate,
Ecosystems
Feature

Evidence falls into place for once and future supercontinents

Shifting landmasses have repeatedly reshaped Earth’s surface. Researchers piecing together the past are now picturing a new supercontinent, due in 250 million years.

2 years ago

Earth