Bethany Brookshire

Bethany Brookshire was a longtime staff writer at Science News Explores and is the author of the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She was a 2019-2020 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, the winner of the Society for Neuroscience Next Generation Award and the Three Quarks Daily Science Writing Award, among others.

All Stories by Bethany Brookshire

  1. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Surface tension

    Surface tension is what makes water in your glass seem like it’s covered by an invisible membrane holding it together.

  2. These scientists study plants and animals by land and sea

    Many people become scientists because they love life outdoors. Meet some women in biology who get to spend their careers outside.

  3. Genetics

    Scientists Say: eDNA

    Animals may escape traps or nets, but they often leave DNA behind in their environment, giving scientists important clues.

  4. Physics

    Scientists Say: Diffraction

    When liquid hits something it spatters, when light hits something, it scatters. The process is called diffraction.

  5. Climate

    Predicting a wildfire with data from space

    When the West gets dry it can catch fire. A teen decided to find out if satellite data might show where a fire’s fuel might reside.

  6. Agriculture

    Teen develops water-saving pods for seeds

    In California’s drought, every drop of water counts. A teen developed a capsule to keep sprouting seeds wet and reduce water use.

  7. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Unsaturated fat

    These fats are found in foods like olive oil. It’s their special bonds that make them go with the flow.

  8. Teen prints a device to help keep wounds dry

    A Broadcom MASTERS finalist invented a sensor that goes off when a wound is too wet. This would alert a patient it’s time to change their bandage.

  9. Environment

    Ocean of the future may make shrimp small and colorful

    Carbon dioxide released into the air can end up in the ocean, making it more acidic. A teen showed that this acidification could shrink shrimp and make them more colorful.

  10. Planets

    Scientists Say: Proxima b

    A new planet outside our solar system is only 4.2 light years away.

  11. Teen studies better cleaning through chemistry

    Why do we use hot water and soap to get things clean? To find out, a teen invented a way to measure surface tension.

  12. Health & Medicine

    4 reasons why many people don’t vote

    The United States has a terrible voter turnout. Scientists have turned up some data to explain why that is.