Meghan Rosen headhsot

Meghan Rosen

Staff Writer, Biological Sciences

Meghan Rosen is a staff writer who reports on the life sciences for Science News. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the University of California, Davis, and later graduated from the science communication program at UC Santa Cruz. Prior to joining Science News in 2022, she was a media relations manager at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her work has appeared in Wired, Science, and The Washington Post, among other outlets. Once for McSweeney’s, she wrote about her kids’ habit of handing her trash, a story that still makes her (and them) laugh.

All Stories by Meghan Rosen

  1. A photo of four orange Mifeprex pill boxes in a pile on a wooden background.
    Health & Medicine

    As U.S. courts weigh in on mifepristone, here’s the abortion pill’s safety record

    Decades of data, including data collected during the coronavirus pandemic, support mifepristone’s safety. The drug’s fate in the United States may now be determined by judicial review.

  2. A photo of a South American tapir walking through a green grass field with some bushes in the background.
    Genetics

    Here are 5 cool findings from a massive project on 240 mammal genomes

    A new series of studies on mammal genetics is helping scientists start to answer questions about evolution, cancer and even what makes us human.

  3. A photo of a hand holding a light colored rectangle with darker lines running across it.
    Health & Medicine

    A graphene “tattoo” could help hearts keep their beat

    A proof-of-concept electronic heart tattoo relies on graphene to act as an ultrathin, flexible pacemaker. In rats, it treated an irregular heartbeat.

  4. three plants on a table with two microphones pointed at each
    Plants

    Stressed plants make ultrasonic clicking noises

    Tomato and tobacco plants emit high frequency sounds, which could one day find a use in agriculture, as a way to detect thirsty crops.

  5. photo of Wilfried Mutombo Kalonji looking at a slide under a microscope as another scientist stands in the background
    Health & Medicine

    Sleeping sickness is nearing elimination. An experimental drug could help

    Clinical trials of acoziborole are under way in sub-Saharan Africa, where sleeping sickness is endemic.

  6. An illustration of several Essexella sitting on the ocean floor.
    Paleontology

    310-million-year-old fossil blobs might not be jellyfish after all

    An ancient animal called Essexella may have been a type of burrowing sea anemone, a new study proposes.

  7. An asian woman curled up in pain on a couch, clutching her stomach.
    Health & Medicine

    An antibody injection could one day help people with endometriosis

    An injectable antibody treatment that reduced signs of endometriosis in monkeys is now being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial in people.

  8. A photo of several different breeds of dogs standing on concrete.
    Animals

    What the first look at the genetics of Chernobyl’s dogs revealed

    Dogs living in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant industrial area are genetically distinct from other dogs, but scientists don’t yet know if radiation is the reason.

  9. An illustration of a body created with light blue lines to simulate electricity.
    Life

    ‘We Are Electric’ delivers the shocking story of bioelectricity

    Sally Adee’s new book spotlights the underexplored science of the body’s electricity and investigates how bioelectricity could advance medicine.

  10. A photo of several lemons, some cut in half, and a small pitcher of lemon juice sitting on a wood counter top with a juicer in the background.
    Health & Medicine

    Here’s how lemon juice may fend off kidney stones

    Lemon nanoparticles slowed formation of kidney stones in rats. If the sacs work the same way in people, they could help prevent the painful crystals.

  11. An elderly male patient sits on a medical exam bed with his back to the camera and a medical professional holding a stethoscope to the patient's back.
    Health & Medicine

    The deadly VEXAS syndrome is more common than doctors thought

    The recently discovered inflammatory disease, VEXAS syndrome, typically occurs in men over 50, affecting nearly 1 in 4,000 in the United States.

  12. A woman representing procrastination as he slumps against a desk with her head in her hand and a pile of colored pencils in front of her.
    Health & Medicine

    Procrastination may harm your health. Here’s what you can do

    Scientists have tied procrastination to mental and physical health problems. But don't panic if you haven't started your New Year's resolutions yet.