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. Brain

    A taste map in the brain is a scattering of tiny flavor islands

    Some senses are highly organized in the brain. Taste is not. And that points to just how important it is.

  2. Math

    Scientists Say: Algebra

    Algebra is a type of mathematics that studies symbols and how they can be shifted around.

  3. Tech

    Tracking Santa with science

    Santa may be magical. But the North American Aerospace Defense Command (or NORAD) uses science to track his journey.

  4. Animals

    Scientists Say: Lachryphagy

    Some insects land on the eyeballs of larger animals. They are seeking out the salt and proteins in the animal’s tears.

  5. Animals

    Let’s learn about sharks

    This ancient group of fish can use scent and even electricity to detect their prey. And they fill an important niche in the ocean.

  6. Animals

    Scientists Say: Medullary bone

    Medullary bone is a layer that forms inside bird and dinosaur bones. It’s a source of the calcium in eggshells.

  7. Plants

    How to grow your own science experiment

    Does fertilizer help plants grow better? You might expect it to, but how can you know? This experiment will help you test it yourself.

  8. Science & Society

    Suffering from racist acts can prompt Black teens to constructive action

    Stress from experiencing racist acts can lead Black teens to recognize and confront racism and fight for social justice.

  9. Physics

    Scientists Say: Velocity

    Velocity is more than speed. It is both speed and the direction in which an object is traveling.

  10. Tech

    Let’s learn about virtual reality

    Scientists use virtual reality to build new games and to help people fight their fears.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Apoptosis

    When it’s time for cells to die, they need to do it carefully, so they don’t harm other cells.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Puberty

    Puberty is a time when hormones surge and people develop the ability to have children. But it’s so much more than that.