Erin Wayman

Erin Wayman

Managing Editor, Magazine

Erin Wayman became Science News’ production editor in 2013 after a year of reporting on earth and environmental sciences for the magazine. A former primatologist-in-training, Erin decided to leave monkey-watching behind after a close run-in with angry peccaries in Ecuador. Once she completed her master’s degree in biological anthropology at the University of California, Davis, she switched careers and earned a master’s in science writing at Johns Hopkins University. Erin was previously an associate editor at EARTH and an assistant editor at Smithsonian magazine, where she blogged about human evolution. Her work has also appeared in New Scientist, Slate, ScienceNOW and Current Anthropology.

All Stories by Erin Wayman

  1. orange water flows from a mine drain in in Pennsylvania
    Environment

    Rare earth elements could be pulled from coal waste

    The scheme would provide valuable rare earth metals and help clean up coal mining’s dirty legacy.

  2. a pile of hard disk drives on a white background
    Environment

    Recycling rare earth elements is hard. Science is trying to make it easier

    As demand grows, scientists are inventing new — and greener — ways to recycle rare earth elements.

  3. Human skeleton from waist down showing earliest surgery
    Life

    Here are 5 record-breaking science discoveries from 2022

    The earliest surgery, fastest supercomputer and biggest single-celled bacteria were some of this year’s top science superlatives.

  4. Solar plasma jet
    Science & Society

    Stuck inside this winter? Try an at-home citizen science project

    Researchers are in search of volunteers to look for solar jets, transcribe old weather logbooks, listen for threatened frogs and more.

  5. a picture of an ancient Indian text
    Math

    Take an online journey through the history of math

    ‘History of Mathematics’ explores the origins of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and more.

  6. skulls and other fossils in drawers
    Humans

    Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins

    Paleoanthropologists have sketched a rough timeline of how human evolution played out, centering the early action in Africa.

  7. Debate over Pluto’s planet status still carries on

    Managing editor Erin Wayman discusses the challenges of classification in science, from Pluto's planet status to the definition of life.

  8. Pinwheel galaxy
    Space

    An astrophysicist honors citizen scientists in the age of big data

    In ‘The Crowd and the Cosmos,’ an astrophysicist gives due to citizen scientists and says they will continue to have a future in discovery.

  9. Jane Goodall
    Science & Society

    A new exhibit invites you to step into Jane Goodall’s life

    “Becoming Jane” celebrates Jane Goodall’s life and pioneering chimpanzee research.

  10. Mars 2020 rover
    Science & Society

    What’s ahead for science in 2020? Here’s what we’re watching

    Science News writers are awaiting new Mars missions, a new search for dark matter, results from a male birth control pill study and more.

  11. satellite image
    Archaeology

    Satellites are transforming how archaeologists study the past

    In ‘Archaeology from Space,’ Sarah Parcak takes readers on a lively tour of the past, and archaeology of the 21st century.

  12. Ecosystems

    Moonlight shapes how some animals move, grow and even sing

    The moon’s light influences lion prey behavior, dung beetle navigation, fish growth, mass migrations and birdsong.