
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.

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All Stories by Erin Wayman
- Earth
Breakups maintain barchan dune fields, somehow
Two new theories try to explain how the crescent-shaped sand mountains persist.
- Earth
Millions in China at risk of exposure to arsenic-tainted water
Simulation shows possibly contaminated areas and predicts populations at risk.
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Killer whales, grandmas and what men want: Evolutionary biologists consider menopause
Menopause seems like a cruel prank that Mother Nature plays on women. First come the hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, irritability and weight gain. Then menstruation stops and fertility ends. Why, many women ask, must they suffer through this? Evolutionary biologists, it turns out, ask themselves more or less the same question. […]
- Climate
Climate change carved canyons in Andes
Erosion came thanks to cooling and more rain, not tectonic activity.
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- Humans
Y chromosome analysis moves Adam closer to Eve
A pair of genetic studies has pushed back age of men's most recent common ancestor.
- Animals
Oxygen boost aided carnivore evolution in Cambrian explosion
Atmospheric change and rise of predators caused burst in complexity of life.
- Climate
Wetter permafrost clings to carbon better
In 12-year lab study, moist soil samples released less greenhouse gas as they warmed.
- Cosmology
Gold seen in neutron star collision debris
Material ejected in gamma-ray bursts may be a main source of the heavy elements.
- Earth
Millions of years ago, frozen ice sheet in East Antarctica melted
Warming may have caused ice sheet collapse and huge increase in sea level.
- Paleontology
Dinosaur had impressive schnoz
Fossils found in Utah reveal geographic segregation of horned species.
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