Carolyn Gramling

Carolyn Gramling

Earth & Climate Writer

Carolyn Gramling is the Earth & Climate writer at Science News. Previously she worked at Science magazine for six years, both as a reporter covering paleontology and polar science and as the editor of the news in brief section. Before that she was a reporter and editor at EARTH magazine. She has bachelor’s degrees in Geology and European History and a Ph.D. in marine geochemistry from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She’s also a former Science News intern.

All Stories by Carolyn Gramling

  1. Animals

    AI-powered whale-spotting tech may help save San Francisco Bay’s gray whales

    An AI trained to use thermal images to detect whale body heat could help warn ships at risk of colliding with the marine mammals.

  2. Climate

    Antarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils

    Soil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.

  3. Space

    Space junk falls back to Earth faster as sunspot numbers climb

    A new study links the sun's 11-year cycle to accelerated orbital loss, with debris falling faster once sunspot numbers near their cycle peak.

  4. Climate

    Emperor penguins are marching toward extinction. Antarctica fur seals too

    Conservationists now list the penguins and seals as “Endangered.” Climate change in Antarctica has led to plunging populations.

  5. Paleontology

    Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe

    A cave preserved two animals’ rib cages, cartilage and even traces of protein, revealing a flexible breathing apparatus like that of today’s land dwellers.

  6. Agriculture

    Heavy soil tilling for agriculture can do more harm than good

    The tiny seismic signals of rainwater moving through the ground show how heavy tilling damage soil.

  7. Space

    How realistic is Project Hail Mary?

    Ryan Gosling is on a mission to save the sun — and Earth — from star-killing microbes. Science News dissects the science behind the sci-fi movie.

  8. Earth

    To make a ‘Snowball Earth,’ sci-fi moves fast. Geology is far slower

    The Day After Tomorrow, Snowpiercer, Snowball Earth: Such end-of-days visions of a frozen Earth are fantastical … but can contain a snowflake of truth.

  9. Paleontology

    A large fossil leg bone hints at T. rex’s origins, but scientists disagree

    A new analysis of a large fossil shinbone suggests T. rex ancestors came from North America instead of Asia. Not everyone agrees.

  10. Climate

    Halting irreversible changes to Antarctica depends on choices made today

    Antarctic Peninsula projections show accelerating ice loss, warming oceans and global sea level impacts tied to greenhouse gas emissions.

  11. Earth

    A long-lost tectonic fragment may be shaking Northern California

    Seismic tremors reveal a shallow fragment of an ancient tectonic plate beneath Northern California, helping explain damaging earthquakes near the surface.

  12. Climate

    Earth’s last 3 years were its hottest on record

    An analysis of global climate data shows sustained warming even as El Niño faded.