Sujata Gupta

Sujata Gupta

Social Sciences Writer

Sujata Gupta is the social sciences writer for Science News. She was a 2017-18 Knight Science Journalism fellow at MIT. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Nature, Discover, NPR, Scientific American, and others. Sujata got her start in journalism at a daily newspaper in Central New York, where she covered education and small town politics. She has also worked as a National Park Ranger, completing stints at parks in Hawaii, California and Maine, and taught English in Nagano, Japan.

All Stories by Sujata Gupta

  1. Psychology

    A simple exercise on belonging helps black college students years later

    Black college freshmen who did a one-hour training on belonging reported higher professional and personal satisfaction years later.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Why African-Americans may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19

    African-Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans, data show. Experts blame long-standing health disparities.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Social distancing comes with psychological fallout

    Keeping people apart can help slow the new coronavirus’ spread. But such social distancing may cause or worsen mental health problems.

  4. Health & Medicine

    How parents and kids can stay safe and sane during the coronavirus pandemic

    Infectious disease experts weigh in on playdates, playgrounds and other parenting questions.

  5. Science & Society

    To fight discrimination, the U.S. census needs a different race question

    Asking about race on the U.S. census can help identify discrimination against minority groups. But sociologists say the question needs a makeover.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Global progress in combating child malnutrition masks problem spots

    Low-resource countries are tackling serious childhood malnutrition, national-level statistics show, but a closer look highlights disparities.

  7. Science & Society

    Installing democracies may not work without prior cultural shifts

    Experts often argue over what comes first: democratic institutions or a culture that values democratic norms. A new study supports the culture camp.

  8. Science & Society

    What happens when governments crack down on scientists just doing their jobs?

    Through their research findings or sense of duty, scientists can run afoul of government leaders keen to control information’s spread.

  9. Humans

    The medieval Catholic Church may have helped spark Western individualism

    Early Catholic Church decrees transformed families and may help explain why Western societies today tend to be individualistic and nonconformist.

  10. Science & Society

    Alaska’s free money for residents hints at how universal basic income may work

    Since 1982, Alaskans have gotten an annual oil dividend. Scientists say that program hints at the pros and cons of a universal basic income.

  11. Science & Society

    Bias in a common health care algorithm disproportionately hurts black patients

    A machine-learning program that uses past medical costs to identify patients for extra care favors white patients over black patients, a study finds.

  12. Science & Society

    Parag Pathak uses data and algorithms to make public education fairer

    Economist Parag Pathak has overhauled school choice systems across the United States. Now he’s assessing what makes for a good education.