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. Tech

    A homemade bungee cord could save kids in hot cars

    Babies left in hot cars are in serious danger. A middle-school student invented a simple reminder to help parents keep their children safe.

  2. Five teachable Cosmos moments

    TV’s new Cosmos series has much to cover in only 13 episodes. Here are five segments whose educational moments stood out.

  3. Animals

    Teen shows salty lionfish are getting fresh

    Lauren Arrington kept spotting lionfish in rivers near her Florida home. Her science fair project probed how much fresh water these ocean fish could stand — and led to a published research paper.

  4. Unearth fossil love as a tar pit volunteer

    The tar pits in Los Angeles trapped animals and plants from long ago. Scientists are now recruiting young volunteers to help study their remains.

  5. Become an eco-leader at this summer camp

    Want to stop water waste, save energy or improve the environment? Here’s a summer camp that will help teens develop techniques that they can try out in their local high school.

  6. An owner’s manual for the adolescent brain

    Most books on adolescence talk about the changes you can see. This one focuses on the unseen changes inside a teen’s head.

  7. Animals

    Stalking squirrels for science

    A scientist noticed the squirrels in his family’s town, and began studying them. His results show why squirrels are such good city dwellers, and prove that science is right outside your door.

  8. Kid inventors win big with a sign in the sky

    A team of kids designed a high-flying sign to help disaster victims get critical information during a potential blackout.

  9. Inventors give the White House a Maker-over

    Inventors invaded the White House yesterday for the first ever White House Maker Faire, decorating the lawn with robot giraffes and filling the house with technology and engineering.

  10. ‘Wannabe scientists’ write about real science

    Brexton Pham had trouble finding scientific articles written for teens. He took matters into his own hands and created “Wannabe Scientist.”

  11. Rocket competition a blast for young scientists

    Young rocket scientists competed in Washington, D.C. last month, flying rockets with precious cargo: eggs. The top 10 teams split $60,000 in prizes.

  12. Animals

    Free app tracks fireflies

    Scientists are worried about firefly populations. Now you can use a free app to map firefly flashes, and contribute data to tracking the health of this popular summertime bug.