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

    New plane wheels land teen at big research competition

    Landing a plane in high winds can be a risky business. Intel ISEF finalist Emerson Burkard designed a new swiveling plane wheel to make the process safer.

  2. Animals

    Teen studies water strider disappearing act

    As a child, Xidian Zhang loved to play with water striders. Now they’re gone, and pollution may be the reason. This teen’s findings earned him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  3. Animals

    A science fair project makes bug killing sweet

    Simon Kaschock-Marenda wanted to see how flies responded to different sweeteners. Along the way, he discovered an insecticide that would pose little risk to people. And the 14-year-old is now a published author on a scientific paper.

  4. Plants

    Taking a long look at lichen

    Lichens may not look like much, but they play a vital role in our ecosystems. ISEF finalist Madeline Handley decided learn more about the lichens in her native Alaska.

  5. Young researchers take over the White House

    Yesterday’s White House Science Fair brought students from around the country to the White House to meet the President and to be recognized for their science and engineering projects. Several were veterans of competitions run by Society for Science & the Public.

  6. Animals

    Killing mosquitoes with cashews

    When dengue fever came to his hometown, Gabriel Galdino looked for ways to stop its carrier, the mosquito. His findings got him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  7. High school student studies slime mold smarts

    Are slime molds “smart,” and what does that mean? Hannah McShea ran experiments to find out more about how slime molds behave and what it means for intelligence.

  8. Math

    Teen puts calculus on ice

    Jacob Nichols wondered if he could use calculus to find the volume of the icicles building up outside his house. His study earned him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  9. Oceans

    Digging a trench to stop a tsunami

    Boyd Kane built his own wave tank to study tsunamis and how he might change the seafloor to stop their advance.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Beautiful nails may harbor germs

    Two students wondered why they weren’t allowed to wear fake nails as nursing assistants. They decided to use science to probe why. What they found sent them to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  11. Slime: A new way to protect plants from slugs

    Katie Gwaltney had a slug problem in her garden. She decided to try using the slugs’ own slime against them. Her findings earned the high school freshman a finalist’s spot at this week's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  12. Studying a weevil to save a tree

    A root weevil is causing billions of dollars in damage to fruit trees in Florida. To save a tree of his own, Evan MacKay decided to study the pest, earning him a finalist’s spot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.