McKenzie Prillaman

Staff Writer

McKenzie Prillaman is a science and health journalist based in Washington, DC, who interned at Science News in spring 2023. She holds a degree in neuroscience from the University of Virginia and studied adolescent nicotine dependence at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. After figuring out she’d rather explain scientific research than conduct it, she worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and then earned a master’s degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has appeared in Nature, Scientific American, The Cancer Letter and The Mercury News, among other publications.

All Stories by McKenzie Prillaman

  1. Astronomy

    Astronomers saw a rogue planet going through a rapid growth spurt

    The growth spurt hints that the free-floating object evolves like a star, providing clues about rogue planets’ mysterious origins.

  2. Astronomy

    See a 3-D map of stellar nurseries based on data from the Gaia telescope

    The map, spanning 4,000 light-years from the sun in all directions, combines a chart of space dust with the effects of a rare type of young, hot star.

  3. Planetary Science

    Enceladus’ ocean may not have produced precursor chemicals for life

    Building blocks of life have been found on this moon of Saturn. They may come from chemical reactions beyond Enceladus’ possible life-supporting ocean.

  4. Particle Physics

    A primordial black hole may have spewed the highest energy neutrino ever found

    The Big Bang may have spawned these theoretical black holes, whose lives are thought to end in a burst of extremely energetic particles.

  5. Planetary Science

    Seismic waves suggest Mars has a solid heart

    NASA’s InSight lander listened to Marsquakes for four years. The tremors revealed that Mars may have a solid inner core.

  6. Astronomy

    Astronomers detect the brightest ever fast radio burst

    The fast radio burst came from 130 million light-years away. That proximity allowed an in-depth search for what produced the mysterious signal.

  7. Planetary Science

    A Mars rock analysis tool proved its mettle on a chance find from Arizona

    On Mars, the Perseverance rover found a spotted rock that could bear signs of ancient life. On Earth, a researcher used a lookalike for a dry run.

  8. Astronomy

    A newborn planet munches on gas and dust surrounding its host star

    In a first, astronomers imaged a baby planet within a gap in the disk of material around a star, confirming predictions about how rings form.

  9. Planetary Science

    NASA’s Webb telescope spotted a new moon orbiting Uranus

    Like Uranus's other 28 moons, the newfound object spotted by JWST will be named after a William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope character.

  10. Astronomy

    A dying star revealed its heart 

    Before exploding, a star shed most of its layers, giving a glimpse at a massive star’s deep interior. The event may represent a new kind of supernova.

  11. Astronomy

    The oldest known black hole formed more than 13.3 billion years ago

    The Webb telescope found that a far-off little red dot is the oldest known black hole, shrouded by gas that could help explain the ruby color.

  12. Planetary Science

    Cosmic rays could, in theory, sustain life on other worlds

    The hypothesis could extend the search for extraterrestrial life to include frigid planets with thin atmospheres and underground water.