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. 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. photo of silkworm cocoons
    Life

    A metal ion bath may make fibers stronger than spider silk

    The work is the latest in a decades-long quest to create artificial fibers as strong, lightweight and biodegradable as spider silk.

  2. Large surface proteins with chains of sugars (illustrated, yellow) are shown on the outside of a cancer cell in this illustration of bioorthogonal or click chemistry, the subject of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
    Chemistry

    A way to snap molecules together like Lego wins 2022 chemistry Nobel

    Click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry allow scientists to build complex molecules in the lab and in living cells.

  3. a robotic pill-like device sits on pig intestine
    Health & Medicine

    This robotic pill clears mucus from the gut to deliver meds

    A whirling robotic pill wicks mucus from the gut, allowing intravenous drugs such as insulin to be given orally, experiments in pigs suggest.

  4. composite of two images of a children with blonde, unruly hair
    Genetics

    Can’t comb your kid’s hair? This gene may be to blame

    Scientists linked variants of one hair shaft gene to most of the uncombable hair syndrome cases they tested.

  5. A row of 10 positive coronavirus tests on a table
    Health & Medicine

    The curious case of the 471-day coronavirus infection

    One patient couldn’t get rid of their coronavirus infection. The case gave scientists an unprecedented look at viral evolution.

  6. A teacher wearing a mask looks to several young children, also wearing masks and leaning against a cupboard
    Health & Medicine

    The new CDC guidelines may make back-to-school harder

    The public health agency’s coronavirus advice could change how schools operate and may spur COVID-19 outbreaks in classrooms.

  7. Sukari sits pensively by a rock in a zoo enclosure
    Animals

    Zoo gorillas use a weird new call that sounds like a sneezy cough

    A novel vocalization made by the captive great apes may help them draw human attention.

  8. a close-up on a person's eye, with a tear streaming down their cheek
    Health & Medicine

    A new technology uses human teardrops to spot disease

    A proof-of-concept technique to analyze microscopic particles in tears could give scientists a new way to detect eye disease and other disorders.

  9. an elephant trunk grabbing something from a human hand
    Life

    The top side of an elephant’s trunk stretches more than the bottom

    New research on elephant trunks could inspire different artificial skins for soft robots.

  10. a woman holds a child as a medical professional gives the child a shot
    Health & Medicine

    Here are experts’ answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines for little kids

    Pediatricians recommend that parents vaccinate their kids, toddlers and babies against COVID-19 to protect them from coronavirus infection.

  11. side-by-side images of pitcher plants growing under a moss matt and under tree roots
    Plants

    This pitcher plant species sets its deathtraps underground

    Scientists didn’t expect the carnivorous, eggplant-shaped pitchers to be sturdy enough to survive below the surface.

  12. image of a starlet sea anemone
    Life

    Here’s how sea anemones launch their venomous stingers

    Starlet sea anemones use speedy projectiles to sting predators and prey. New images capture a detailed look at these weapons in action.