Alison Pearce Stevens

Freelance Writer

Alison Pearce Stevens is a former duck wrangler, beekeeper and forever science geek who specializes in writing about science and nature for kids. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, their kids and a small menagerie of cuddly (and not-so cuddly) critters. She writes for Science News Explores, Highlights for Children, ASK (Arts and Sciences for Kids) magazine and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is the author of several award-winning books, including Rhinos in Nebraska, Animal Climate Heroes and Detective Dogs.

All Stories by Alison Pearce Stevens

  1. Microbes

    Germs help each other fend off antibiotics

    Drug-resistant bacteria can cause persistent infections. A new study finds these germs fight drugs in different ways. And they can swap various compounds, increasing their neighbors’ chances of overcoming the drugs meant to kill them.

  2. Earth

    How people have been shaping the Earth

    We are the dominant force of change on Earth. Some experts propose naming our current time period the ‘Anthropocene’ to reflect our impact.

  3. Animals

    Coming: The sixth mass extinction?

    Species are dying off at such a rapid rate — faster than at any other time in human existence — that many resources on which we depend may disappear.

  4. Brain

    The distracted teenage brain

    Teens often show poor judgment in decision-making. Scientists have long blamed this on the fact that their brains are still developing. A new study offers another explanation: distractions form rewarding behaviors — ones that persist even after the reward itself has disappeared.

  5. Earth

    Solved: Mystery of the ‘sailing’ rocks

    Rocks and boulders periodically move across the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, leaving tell-tale tracks in their wake. Using advanced technology, scientists have finally solved the mystery of how this happens.

  6. Brain

    Mistakes: A key to learning

    This man uses a robotic arm to move a cursor across a computer screen. The screen blocks his view of his hand and arm. This focuses his attention on any errors he makes as he tries to move a cursor to a target location.

  7. Brain

    Learning rewires the brain

    Brain cells actually change shape as we learn. It’s one way we cement new knowledge. And much of the action happens as we sleep.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Starchy foods may cut meaty risks

    Eating red meat can increase the risk of certain types of cancer. But scientists have discovered that eating potatoes and other foods containing 'resistant' starch can help limit those risks.

  9. Plants

    Saving the banana

    A number of diseases threaten the world’s most popular fruit. Scientists are working to fight these blights. But if they don’t succeed, the sweet banana that’s a breakfast staple could disappear.

  10. Brain

    Lacrosse: Different genders, same injuries

    Scientists find that boys’ and girls’ versions of lacrosse lead to similar injuries. Because girls frequently get concussions, the study argues that like the boys, girls too should wear helmets.

  11. Health & Medicine

    For better weight control, fiber up!

    Certain types of fiber suppress appetite, at least in mice. Found in fruits, vegetables, oats and barley, this fiber breaks down in the gut to release acetate. That travels to the brain, where the chemical prompts the release of hunger-fighting hormones.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Infected cutting boards

    Germs can hitchhike into the kitchen on meat and many types of produce. A new study finds that some of those germs are particularly nasty. They are immune to the one or more of the drugs doctors would prescribe to wipe out the infection.