Chris Samoray

Fall 2015 Science Writing Intern

All Stories by Chris Samoray

  1. Earth

    Ocean’s plastics offer a floating fortress to a mess of microbes

    Microbes take up residence on ocean plastics, potentially causing changes in ocean environments.

  2. Agriculture

    Plants trick bacteria into attacking too soon

    Scientists have discovered that a plant compound interferes with bacterial communication.

  3. Science & Society

    Soviets nailed first landing on moon

    The first spacecraft to safely land on the moon touched down on the lunar surface in 1966.

  4. Microbes

    Random changes in behavior speed bacteria evolution

    Microbes can speed up evolution by changing phenotypes.

  5. Animals

    Behavior, body size impact bats’ fight against white-nose syndrome

    Behavioral and physical traits buffer some bats against white-nose syndrome while leaving others vulnerable.

  6. Paleontology

    Plesiosaurs swam like penguins

    Computer simulations of plesiosaur swimming motion may resolve long-standing debate on how the marine reptile got around.

  7. Humans

    No fairy tale: Origins of some famous stories go back thousands of years

    Pairing folktales with ancient languages shows that at least a few folktales originated thousands of years ago.

  8. Archaeology

    Humans visited Arctic earlier than thought

    Human weapon injuries on mammoth bones show humans were in the Arctic up to 15,000 years earlier than researchers thought.

  9. Oceans

    Phytoplankton flunk photosynthesis efficiency test

    Nutrient-poor ocean waters make phytoplankton photosynthesis inefficient

  10. Agriculture

    Number of wild bees drops where they’re needed most

    Wild bee abundance in the United States is lowest in agricultural regions, according to a new model.

  11. Animals

    Year in review: New dates, place proposed for dogs’ beginnings

    This year’s dog research suggested older origins and a new location of domestication for man's best friend.

  12. Animals

    Forgetful male voles more likely to wander from mate

    Poor memory linked to a hormone receptor in the brain could make male prairie voles more promiscuous.