Jennifer Leman

Science Writing Intern, Fall 2018

Jennifer Leman was the fall 2018 science writing intern at Science News

All Stories by Jennifer Leman

  1. Anthropology

    Neandertal teeth reveal the earliest known signs of lead exposure

    Chemical analyses of teeth from young Neandertals show that lead exposure in hominids goes back some 250,000 years.

  2. Archaeology

    People in the Pacific Northwest smoked tobacco long before Europeans showed up

    Ancient indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest used tobacco roughly 600 years before European settlers ventured west with the plant.

  3. Plants

    Liverwort plants contain a painkiller similar to the one in marijuana

    Cannabinoids found in liverwort plants could spell relief for those suffering from chronic pain.

  4. Agriculture

    Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well

    Scientists bred a type of weed to lack proteins that help stem the production of bitter chemicals used to ward off insect attacks.

  5. Climate

    More tornadoes are popping up east of the Mississippi

    Tornadoes are becoming slightly less frequent in Tornado Alley, while more are touching down farther east in the United States, a study suggests.

  6. Agriculture

    Add beer to the list of foods threatened by climate change

    Barley crops around the world will be threatened by drought and heat.

  7. Tech

    Self-driving cars see better with cameras that mimic mantis shrimp vision

    A new type of camera that sees in polarized light across a wide range of light intensities could help make self-driving cars safer on the road.

  8. Earth

    These light-loving bacteria may survive surprisingly deep underground

    Traces of cyanobacteria DNA suggest that the microbes live deep below Earth’s surface.

  9. Planetary Science

    Spiky ice spires may stud the equator of Jupiter’s moon Europa

    Fields of jagged ice spires, if they exist, could affect where future spacecraft land on the Jovian moon.

  10. Animals

    Giraffes inherit their spots from their mothers

    Africa’s tallest creatures get their characteristic patterns of spots from their moms, a new study finds.

  11. Climate

    Tracking how rainfall morphs Earth’s surface could help forecast flooding

    After Hurricane Harvey, scientists used GPS networks to track how Earth’s surface morphed under the weight of floodwaters.

  12. Animals

    A new species of high-altitude hummingbird may already be in trouble

    Researchers have discovered a new species of hummingbird high up in the Ecuadorian Andes.