Amber Dance

Amber Dance is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

All Stories by Amber Dance

  1. Science & Society

    Do science dioramas still have a place in today’s museums?

    Science dioramas of yesteryear can highlight the biases of the time. Exhibit experts are reimagining, annotating — and sometimes mothballing — the scenes.

  2. Science & Society

    Scientists are fixing flawed forensics that can lead to wrongful convictions

    People have been wrongly jailed for forensic failures. Scientists are working to improve police lineups, fingerprinting and even DNA analysis.

  3. Health & Medicine

    A deadly bacteria has been infecting children for more than 1,400 years

    DNA from a 6th century boy’s tooth reveals signs of the earliest known Haemophilus influenzae type b infection, shedding light on the pathogen’s history.

  4. Animals

    Parasitic worm populations are skyrocketing in some fish species used in sushi

    Fishes worldwide harbor 283 times the number of Anisakis worms as fishes in the 1970s. Whether that’s a sign of environmental decline or recovery is unclear.

  5. Humans

    Textile archaeologists use ancient tools to weave a tapestry of the past

    Using tools leftover from ancient spindles and looms, textile archaeologists are starting to understand the fabrics of the past.

  6. Health & Medicine

    How an obscure sexually transmitted parasite tangos with the immune system

    Scientists are working out how Trichomonas vaginalis, one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections, causes problems in women and men.

  7. Agriculture

    How plant microbes could feed the world and save endangered species

    Scientists have only scratched the surface of the plant microbiome, but they already believe it might increase crop yield and save species from extinction.

  8. Animals

    Bat brain signals illuminate navigation in the dark

    New lab technologies that let bats fly freely allow scientists to track nerve cell signals as the animals dodge and weave.

  9. Animals

    How bats could help tomato farmers (and the U.S. Navy)

    The way bats navigate their environs inspires engineers to develop better sonar and robots that can estimate crop yield or deliver packages

  10. Animals

    Venomous fish have evolved many ways to inflict pain

    Fish venom shows great diversity and is being studied to treat pain, cancer and other diseases.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Cornea donation may have sex bias

    Women receiving a corneal transplant do better when their donors are female, new research finds.