Kathryn Hulick

Freelance Writer

Kathryn Hulick is a freelance science journalist and author. Her book Welcome to the Future: Robot Friends, Fusion Energy, Pet Dinosaurs and More explores how technology could change the world in the future. Strange But True: 10 of the World's Greatest Mysteries Explained reveals the real science behind paranormal mysteries, including ghosts, aliens and sea monsters. Hulick also writes regularly for Science News Explores, Muse magazine and Front Vision magazine. Her favorite part of writing about science is getting to speak with researchers in many different fields. She especially loves learning about plants and animals, artificial intelligence, outer space, new energy sources and robots. Once, she spoke with an expert on parallel universes while he was shoveling snow from his driveway. Hulick lives in Massachusetts with her family and many house plants. She enjoys hiking and exploring nature as well as drawing and painting.

All Stories by Kathryn Hulick

  1. Materials Science

    Engineers borrow a tree’s cellulose to toughen new materials

    Cellulose gives plants their strength. Engineers are turning this renewable, environmentally friendly resource into brand new materials.

  2. Humans

    Is the sky really blue? It depends on what language you speak

    English speakers talk about color a lot but rarely about smell. Researchers are learning how those who speak other languages sense the world and why differences arise.

  3. Tech

    These flying robots protect endangered wildlife

    Flying drones make conservation work much easier. Around the world, drones and artificial intelligence help scientists study or protect endangered animals.

  4. Ecosystems

    Secret forest fungi partner with plants — and help the climate

    Forest fungi are far more than mere mushrooms. They explore. They move nutrients and messages between plants. They can even help fight climate change.

  5. Tech

    Easy for you, tough for a robot

    Robots still can’t do many things that we find easy. Can engineers reduce how klutzy robots are and boost their common sense?

  6. Psychology

    A growing share of teens feels lonely at school

    Data from kids in 37 nations links this to use of cell phones and the internet.

  7. Animals

    Will the woolly mammoth return?

    Scientists are using genetic engineering and cloning to try to bring back extinct species or save endangered ones. Here’s how and why.

  8. Animals

    Cloning boosts endangered black-footed ferrets

    A cloned ferret named Elizabeth Ann brings genetic diversity to a species that nearly went extinct in the 1980s.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Discovering the power of placebos

    If you take a fake pill and expect to feel better, you may. Researchers are learning how this placebo effect works and how to use it to help patients.

  10. Tech

    New robots can clean virus-laden surfaces so people won’t have to

    Smart and nimble cleaning robots will soon help disinfect spaces. They twist and bend to hit hard-to-reach spaces with UV light or cleansing sprays.

  11. Materials Science

    New device gets power from 5G signals grabbed from the air

    A new way to harvest electricity relies on a tiny array of antennas and a lens. Together, they collect and focus 5G signals coming from any direction.

  12. Physics

    Light levitation might help explore Earth’s ‘ignorosphere’

    A toy called a light mill inspired researchers to invent a new way to fly. They’re using light to levitate small nanotube-coated discs.