Mariah Quintanilla

Science Writing Intern, Fall 2017

Mariah Quintanilla is Science News’ current science writing intern. Mariah comes to Science News via the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she earned her master's degree in Summer 2017, specializing in health, environment and science journalism. As part of her studies, she did everything from cover spot news at AAAS to traveling to Nicaragua to explore the mission of a health clinic through the stories of the women treated there. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Davis, Mariah studied entomology. While she says it’s hard to pick a favorite insect, she has a lot to say about why parasitoid wasps are so cool. 

All Stories by Mariah Quintanilla

  1. Tech

    Future smart clothes could pack serious gadgetry

    Casual daywear may someday contain some serious tech. But engineers have to take conventional electronics and make them comfortable to wear.

  2. Materials Science

    New textile weathers temperature shift

    Reversible textile keeps skin at a comfortable temperature with thin layers of carbon and copper.

  3. Astronomy

    86 stars get official names

    The International Astronomical Union has released 86 newly official star names, based, in part, on historical star names from various indigenous cultures.

  4. Animals

    Narwhals react to certain dangers in a really strange way

    After escaping a net, narwhals significantly lower their heart rate while diving quickly to get away from humans.

  5. Animals

    Most blue whales are ‘righties,’ except for this one move

    Though many blue whales tend to be “right-handed” when hunting for krill, one specific barrel roll move requires a lefty twist.

  6. Animals

    These spiders may have the world’s fastest body clocks

    Three orb-weaving spiders may have the shortest circadian clocks yet discovered among animals.

  7. Animals

    The Lord Howe stick insect is officially back from the dead

    New genomic sequencing confirms that stick insects discovered near Lord Howe Island are the assumed-extinct Lord Howe stick insect.

  8. Animals

    Face it: Sheep are just like us when it comes to recognizing people

    Sheep trained to recognize celebrity faces demonstrate that the animals have face-recognition capabilities similar to humans and other primates.

  9. Tech

    This is the lightest robot that can fly, swim and take off from water

    Lightweight, insect-inspired robot can swim, fly and leap from the surface of water.

  10. Life

    How bird feeders may be changing great tits’ beaks

    Longer beaks may be evolving in U.K. great tits because of the widespread use of bird feeders in the country.

  11. Life

    The physics of mosquito takeoffs shows why you don’t feel a thing

    Even when full of blood, mosquitoes use more wing force than leg force to escape a host undetected — clue to why they’re so good at spreading disease.

  12. Oceans

    Here’s a breakdown of the animals that crossed the Pacific on 2011 tsunami debris

    Hundreds of marine animals from Japan have washed up on U.S. beaches since the destructive 2011 earthquake and tsunami.