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

    Scientists Say: Zoonosis

    Sometimes diseases in people come from animals. These diseases have a special name.

  2. Chemistry

    Taking chicken off the grill and into the lab

    Grilling meat can produce carcinogens. A teen studied how to grill chicken to produce the fewest of these cancer-causing chemicals.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Carcinogen

    We have all heard that some things — such as ultraviolent rays from the sun or dangerous chemicals — can cause cancer. These agents have a special name.

  4. This “sun” dress mixes fashion and science

    Allison Clausius, 18, combined her love for fashion and science in a dress that incorporates solar panels to charge portable electronics.

  5. Science & Society

    Scientists Say: Forensics

    When there’s blood, bones and fingerprints on a crime scene, it’s time to bring in the scientists. Their research is called forensics.

  6. Physics

    Scientists Say: Photovoltaic

    This effect allows us to convert sunlight into electricity and is a popular renewable energy source.

  7. Environment

    Scientists Say: Eutrophication

    When a body of water is filled with nutrients, algae and plants may take advantage. And their presence isn’t always a good thing.

  8. A gory good time with a dinosaur dissection

    Scientists will never be able to examine a fresh, dead dinosaur. But thanks to TV magic, we can now see what it might be like if they could.

  9. Animals

    Scientists Say: Autopsy and Necropsy

    Sometimes when animals die, they need to be investigated. These examinations have two special names. One is for people, the other for non-human animals.

  10. Plants

    Using plants to solve environmental problems

    Problems in their communities suggested good research projects to three teens. Each wanted to tackle a different issue, from pollution to world hunger. To learn more about these issues, they turned to their local ponds, wetlands and gardens.

  11. Ecosystems

    Scientists Say: Taphonomy

    Studying what happens to plants and animals after they die can teach us about ecosystems and evolution. This study has a special name.

  12. Chemistry

    The science of getting away with murder

    A student took her love of crime shows to the next level. She did a science fair project to find out which cleaner works best at getting rid of bloody evidence.