Bethany Brookshire

Staff Writer, Science News for Students, 2013–2021

Bethany Brookshire was the staff writer at Science News for Students from 2013 to 2021. She has a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She is also a host on the podcast Science for the People, and a 2019-2020 MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow.

All Stories by Bethany Brookshire

  1. Psychology

    Views on bias can be biased

    When presented with a study showing bias against women, male scientists are more inclined to nitpick the results. But a little intervention can go a long way toward gender equality in science.

  2. Neuroscience

    That familiar feeling comes from deep in the brain

    Knowing what’s new and what we’ve seen before is at the base of memory. A new study shows that with a flash of light, scientists can change the firing of brain cells, and make the old new again.

  3. Tech

    Early satellite TV predictions highlighted instant communication potential

    Satellite communication started as science fiction but soon became reality.

  4. Neuroscience

    How a fat hormone might make us born to run

    Many runners finish long races in a euphoric mood. The underpinnings of this runner’s high may involve many chemicals, including the fat hormone leptin.

  5. Health & Medicine

    With flibanserin approval, a complicated drug takes the spotlight

    The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to increase women’s sexual desire. But whether the benefits outweigh the side effects depends on who you ask.

  6. Neuroscience

    The need to feed and eating for pleasure are inextricably linked

    Scientists used to think that the hunger and the pleasure from food could be easily distinguished. But new results show these systems are inextricably intertwined.

  7. Animals

    ‘Prehistoric Predators’ is a carnival of ancient dinosaurs, mammals and more

    A new children’s book offers gorgeous illustrations and information for everyone about ancient carnivores.

  8. Chemistry

    Three kids’ science books offer fun, fascinating experiments

    No matter what interests kids, there’s a do-it-yourself science book for them. Here are three with entertaining and educational options.

  9. Chemistry

    Pathway pieced together to make opiates in yeast

    Scientists have engineered yeast to make sugar into thebaine, a precursor to opiates such as morphine.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Building standards aren’t to blame for chilly offices

    A recent study made headlines for finding differences between men and women in comfort level for heating and cooling. But that’s not why women are cold in the office.

  11. Health & Medicine

    How trans fats oozed into our diet and out again

    Trans fats are no longer “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA. In a world where we want to have our doughnuts and eat them, too, it’s back to the drawing board, and back to butter.

  12. Health & Medicine

    The weekly grind of social jetlag could be a weighty issue

    Even those of us with nine-to-five jobs don’t always respect our body’s clocks. Research shows that even slight disruptions might be associated with obesity.