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. Health & Medicine

    4 research-backed ways to get people to vote

    Millions of Americans who are eligible to vote won’t bother to go to the polls. Scientists, though, are finding ways to get more of these people into the voting booth.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Saturated fat

    Saturated fats are found in meat and dairy products. Their long, straight chemical chains make them solid in your fridge and on your plate.

  3. Teen gets fired up about Christmas tree safety

    A deadly Christmas tree fire inspired one teen to study how a tree’s moisture level affects how easily it will ignite and burn.

  4. Science & Society

    Broadcom MASTERS awards honor science, invention and teamwork

    Each year, 30 middle school science fair winners work together to show off their science knowledge and innovation skills.

  5. Environment

    Fattening maggots to create a designer food

    Davia Allen wants to reduce food waste by feeding it to fly larvae — which can then serve as food for poultry, fish and people.

  6. When science blew up in my face, I learned…

    Everyone working on a science project sometimes fails. Listen to these Broadcom MASTERS finalists share what their failures taught them.

  7. Space

    Scientists Say: Proxima Centauri

    The nearest star to our sun is only 4.2 light-years away.

  8. Brain

    Teen brains may have an advantage — better learning

    The teen brain is infamous for prizing rewards and encouraging risky behavior. But their reward-driven behavior may help those teens learn some things better than adults.

  9. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Fatty acid

    Fats are important, especially fatty acids. These molecules serve many purposes, but they are all constructed the same way.

  10. Science & Society

    Women in science are living life by the numbers

    These women show that math, physics and technology are definitely a girl thing.

  11. Space

    Scientists Say: Comet

    Comets are small solar system objects. When they pass close to their sun, their melting gases and water give them a tail.

  12. Brain

    These scientists are getting inside your head

    You brain might only weigh few pounds, but there’s a whole world in there. Meet the women in science who are digging into the mysteries of the mind.