photo of Ashley Yeager

Ashley Yeager

Associate News Editor

Ashley Yeager is the associate news editor at Science News. Previously, she worked at The Scientist, where she was an associate editor for nearly three years. She has also worked as a freelance editor and writer, and as a writer at the Simons Foundation, Duke University and the W.M. Keck Observatory. She was the web producer for Science News from 2013 to 2015, and was an intern at the magazine in the summer of 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Her book, Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter and Beyond, on the life of astronomer Vera Rubin, will be published by MIT Press in August.

All Stories by Ashley Yeager

  1. Astronomy

    Hubble telescope snaps new images of iconic stellar nursery

    Hubble's new view of the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming region in the Milky Way, hints at how the nebula has changed over the last 20 years.

  2. Animals

    White-nose syndrome messes with bats’ metabolisms

    Bats with the deadly white-nose syndrome use twice as much fat for energy as their healthy companions in winter months.

  3. Neuroscience

    Smartphone users’ thumbs are reshaping their brains

    Smartphones are forcing us to use our thumbs in new ways and reshaping the way our brains respond to touch.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Some heart patients do better when the doctor’s away

    When cardiologists are away at national conferences, patients with acute heart conditions are more likely to survive, a study shows.

  5. Astronomy

    Hubble telescope spots our galaxy’s newest neighbor

    The Milky Way galaxy has a new neighbor, Hubble images show.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Eating only low glycemic index foods may not help the heart

    Eating healthy carbs with high glycemic index scores is not bad for your heart, a new study suggests.

  7. Planetary Science

    Year in review: Rosetta mission hits its target

    The Rosetta spacecraft and its lander Philae are providing an intimate look at the life of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

  8. Life

    Images reveal secrets of zinc sparks

    These sparks are created when billions of zinc atoms shoot from thousands of small pouches nestled just beneath the surface of a mouse egg cell.

  9. Life

    Source of sperm and egg’s zinc sparks identified

    Detailed imaging reveals the origin of zinc sparks that fly when egg meets sperm in mammals.

  10. Genetics

    Early heart attack tied to rare mutations in two genes

    Rare mutations in two genes greatly increase the risk of having a heart attack early in life, a study shows.

  11. Planetary Science

    Rosetta casts doubt on comets as Earth’s water providers

    Water in comet 67P’s thin, hazy atmosphere doesn’t chemically match Earth’s oceans, suggesting that asteroids, not comets, brought water to the planet.

  12. Animals

    Male monkeys’ social bonds may ease everyday stress

    When male primates live in groups with other males, they tend to fight over females. But male-male bonding can reduce stress, a study finds.