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Erika Engelhaupt

Erika Engelhaupt is a freelance science writer and editor based in Knoxville, Tenn. She began her blog, Gory Details, while she was an editor at Science News. She continues the blog at National Geographic, where she was online science editor and managed the Phenomena science blog network. Her work has also appeared at NPR, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Story Collider podcast, and in other newspapers and magazines. 

All Stories by Erika Engelhaupt

  1. body in morgue
    Genetics

    Genes could record forensic clues to time of death

    Scientists have found predictable patterns in the way our genetic machinery winds down after death.

  2. Vanitas Still Life With Flowers and Skull
    Science & Society

    ‘Death: A Graveside Companion’ offers an outlet for your morbid curiosity

    A coffee-table book explores how humans have tried to understand death through the ages.

  3. lion's mane jellyfish
    Animals

    Here’s the real story on jellyfish taking over the world

    In 'Spineless,' a former marine scientist reconnects with the seas and science through her obsession with these enigmatic creatures.

  4. old photo of woman at grocery store
    Science & Society

    How science has fed stereotypes about women

    A new book, Inferior, shows how biased research branded women as inferior and aims to set the record straight.

  5. parched landscape
    Science & Society

    Does doom and gloom convince anyone about climate change?

    New York magazine spurred conversation with a recent article on climate change. Will its apocalyptic approach have an impact?

  6. human skull and Neandertal skull
    Anthropology

    How humans (maybe) domesticated themselves

    Prior to taming other species, humans selected for more docile traits among fellow Homo sapiens, a slew of recent studies suggest.

  7. painting of Caesar’s last moments
    Chemistry

    Every breath you take contains a molecule of history

    In 'Caesar’s Last Breath', best-selling author Sam Kean tells vivid stories about the gases we can’t see.

  8. illustration of brain as marionette
    Psychology

    You’ve probably been tricked by fake news and don’t know it

    In the fight against falsified facts, the human brain is both the weakest link and our only hope.

  9. feet with toe tag

    For Halloween, Gory Details favorites and farewell

    Gory Details blogger Erika Engelhaupt left Science News earlier this year. In a farewell post and in honor of Halloween, she reminisces about some of her favorite, and scariest, posts.

  10. Psychology

    Schadenfreude starts young

    Children as young as 2 years old feel joy at another’s misfortune, new research suggests, showing jealousy’s deep roots.

  11. fecal map
    Microbes

    Front doors carry ‘thin patina’ of poop bacteria

    A new map shows that Americans’ front door frames are coated in gut-dwelling microbes.

  12. Ecosystems

    If you really hate a species, try eating it

    Dining on invasive fish such as snakehead and lionfish can reduce their numbers, but we can’t entirely eat our way out this problem.