Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson

Multimedia Editor

Helen Thompson is the multimedia editor at Science News. She makes videos, creates data visuals, helps manage the website, wrangles cats and occasionally writes about things like dandelion flight and whale evolution. She has undergraduate degrees in biology and English from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, a master’s degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and strong opinions about tacos. Before Science News, she wrote for Smithsonian, NPR.org, National Geographic, Nature and others.

All Stories by Helen Thompson

  1. Oceans

    Great Barrier Reef acidification predictions get worse

    New simulations suggest that ocean acidification poses an even greater threat to the Great Barrier Reef than suspected.

  2. Paleontology

    Surprise! Ancient armadillos are related to modern armadillos

    DNA evidence proves that ancient glyptodonts are indeed related to today’s armadillos, as Charles Darwin suspected.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Mini-stomachs brew insulin in mice

    Scientists transform stomach cells into insulin factories and grow mini-stomachs for diabetic mice.

  4. Animals

    Chubby king penguins wobble when they waddle

    King penguins’ weight gain makes their waddle a bit wobbly, study suggests.

  5. Animals

    Meet the tarantula in black

    Named for Johnny Cash, a new species of tarantula makes its home in the shadow of Folsom Prison.

  6. Genetics

    Bedbug genome spills secrets of violence, weird sex

    Maps of bedbugs’ genetic material reveal clues to their success.

  7. Animals

    Skin color changes reveal octopus drama

    Shallow-water octopuses use changes in skin color to communicate aggression to their peers, study suggests.

  8. Animals

    Tegu lizards warm up for mating season

    The heat is on in tegu lizards during mating season, study suggests.

  9. Animals

    Tegu lizards warm up for mating

    Despite their cold-blooded reputation, tegu lizards boost their body heat while on the prowl for a mate, biologists report online January 22 in Science Advances.

  10. Animals

    New tree frog genus discovered in India

    Researchers unveil a newly identified tree frog genus from northeastern India that eats mom’s eggs.

  11. Genetics

    Bubonic plague hung out in Europe

    The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis may have lurked in a medieval European reservoir for at least 300 years, researchers from Germany suggest January 13 in PLOS ONE.

  12. Genetics

    Bubonic plague hung around in Europe

    DNA from plague victims suggests that a European reservoir of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis could have fueled the medieval pandemic.