Laura Beil

Laura Beil

Contributing Correspondent

Laura Beil is an independent journalist specializing in medicine, health policy and science. She was the recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Medical Science Reporting in 2018. In addition to being a contributing correspondent at Science News, her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, and other magazines. She began freelancing in 2007 after working as medical writer for the Dallas Morning News from 1992 to 2006. In 2018, she reported and hosted the podcast Dr. Death, which has been downloaded more than 50 million times.

All Stories by Laura Beil

  1. Health & Medicine

    Catching a Cancer

    The official figure for the percentage of human cancers caused by viruses is around 20 percent — but most experts concede that number is largely an educated guess

  2. Health & Medicine

    Throat Therapy

    Scientists seek a cough remedy that really delivers relief.

  3. Head Agony

    Jumpy cells may underlie migraine’s sensory storm.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Reviving A Tired Heart

    With a bit of encouragement, the life-giving muscle may renew itself.

  5. The Color of Controversy

    Link between food dyes, childhood hyperactivity gets renewed attention.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Healthy Aging in a Pill

    To extend life span, scientists envision a drug that mimics the benefits of a near-starvation diet.

  7. Making Nuanced Memories

    New nerve cells help the brain tell similar experiences apart.

  8. Unnatural selection

    Chemists build proteins with parts not in the typical toolkit.

  9. Fat chance

    Scientists are working out ways to rev up the body’s gut-busting machinery.

  10. I, Mold

    Conquering the rising tide of infection is hindered by the many similarities between humans and fungi.

  11. Breaking the Speed Limit

    Studies examine physiology and technology to better foresee the ultimate edge of human performance.

  12. Humans

    Obese people can misjudge body size

    Survey finds that many overweight individuals consider their body size normal and healthy despite having health problems