Carolyn Wilke

Contributing Editor, Science News Explores

Carolyn Wilke earned her Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Northwestern University, where her research drew on the fields of environmental chemistry, materials science and toxicology. She got her start in science writing by blogging for HELIX, Northwestern’s science magazine and wrote as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at The Sacramento Bee. Now a freelance science writer. Carolyn worked as a staff writer at Science News Explores and interned at Science News and The Scientist. When not delving into a new scientific discovery, you might find Carolyn behind her sewing machine or trying to amuse her cat. 

All Stories by Carolyn Wilke

  1. Microbes

    Globetrotting microbes in airplane sewage may spread antibiotic resistance

    Along with harder-to-kill microbes, airplane sewage contains a diverse set of the genes that let bacteria evade antibiotics.

  2. Animals

    Scientists Say: Herbivore

    Herbivores are animals that can live on a diet of mostly plants.

  3. Earth

    Scientists Say: Firewhirl and Firenado

    Firewhirls are smallish vortices of ash and flame; firenadoes are true twisters set off by the conditions that come with a wildfire.

  4. Animals

    Whales echolocate with big clicks and tiny amounts of air

    Toothed whales may echolocate using bits of air that they recycle inside their heads to conserve both air and energy.

  5. Space

    Dust-shrouded monster is a snapshot from the early universe

    Scientists have spotted a massive galaxy from the early universe shrouded in dust. It turned up in a small survey by the ALMA radio telescopes in Chile.

  6. Life

    Scientists Say: Nutrient

    Nutrients provide living things, from bacteria to animals, with the energy and materials to grow. But too much of a nutrient can sometimes cause harm.

  7. Tech

    Drones help scientists weigh whales at sea

    Drone imagery lets scientists estimate a whale’s weight. And that may help monitor the health of these big mammals for conservation purposes.

  8. Animals

    Scientists Say: Papillae

    These small nubs stick out from a body part. They include things such as tongue bumps with taste buds and the structures under the skin that help grow hair.

  9. Animals

    Piranhas and plant-eating kin replace half their teeth at once

    Piranhas and pacus shed and replace half of their teeth at a time. New teeth lock together as they push up from the jaw.

  10. Life

    A new spin on lab-grown meat

    A technique inspired by how cotton candy is spun could help produce lab-grown meat at a lower cost and on a bigger scale.

  11. Scientists Say: Octopod

    These marine animals have soft bodies and eight sucker-lined arms. Some are known for their smarts or ability to quickly change colors.

  12. Physics

    Scientists Say: Power

    This word describes the rate at which energy is delivered or used to do work, along with related ideas, such as ways of making electricity.