All Stories by Bethany Brookshire
- Animals
50 years ago, atomic testing created otter refugees
Nuclear testing on the island of Amchitka caused hundreds of otters to be rehomed 50 years ago. Those hundreds have grown into thousands.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, a pessimistic view for heart transplants
Surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967. In 1968, he predicted that patients would survive five years at best. Fortunately, he was wrong.
- Science & Society
For popularity on Twitter, partisanship pays
Pundits claim that we’re all living in political echo chambers. A new study shows that, on Twitter at least, they’re right.
- Science & Society
Women and men get research grants at equal rates — if women apply in the first place
When women get research funding, they’ll stay funded as long as their male counterparts. But getting to the top of that heap is a challenge.
- Genetics
50 years ago, scientists took baby steps toward selecting sex
In 1968, scientists figured out how to determine the sex of rabbit embryos.
- Tech
50 years ago, a Japanese scientist dreamed up a rocket-propelled train
50 years ago, a Japanese engineer tried rocket boosters on a train. Today, high-speed trains propelled by superconducting magnets are being tested.
- Science & Society
Fighting sexual harassment in science may mean changing science itself
Sexual harassment is disturbingly prevalent in academia. But a course correction may involve tearing down the hierarchy that makes science run.
- Health & Medicine
To regulate fecal transplants, FDA has to first answer a serious question: What is poop?
Fecal transplants are the treatment of the future for some conditions. But right now, they are entirely unregulated. Here’s why putting regulations in place is so complex.
- Animals
50 years ago, scientists warned of a sparrow’s extinction
Only 17 dusky seaside sparrows remained in 1968. Today, there are none.
- Chemistry
Want to build a dragon? Science is here for you
Fire-breathing dragons can’t live anywhere outside of a book or TV. But nature provides some guidance as to how they might get their flames. If they existed, anyway.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, early organ transplants brought triumph and tragedy
In 1968, the liver transplant field had its first small successes. Now, more than 30,000 patients in the U.S. receive a donated liver each year.
- Science & Society
Wikipedia has become a science reference source even though scientists don’t cite it
Wikipedia is everyone’s go-to source. Even scientists. A new study shows how science on Wikipedia may end up forwarding science itself.
