Aimee Cunningham

Aimee Cunningham

Biomedical Writer

Biomedical writer Aimee Cunningham is on her second tour at Science News. From 2005 to 2007, she covered chemistry, environmental science, biology and materials science for Science News.  Between stints Aimee was a freelance writer for outlets such as NPR and Scientific American Mind. She has a degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. She received the 2019 Award for Excellence in Science and Medical Journalism from the Endocrine Society for the article "Hormone replacement makes sense for some menopausal women."

All Stories by Aimee Cunningham

  1. Genetics

    If you’re 35 or younger, your genes can predict whether the flu vaccine will work

    A set of nine genes predicted an effective response to the flu vaccine in young people, no matter the strains.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Birth control research is moving beyond the pill

    After decades of research, reproductive biologists are on the verge of developing new birth control options that stop sperm from maturing or save a woman's eggs for later.

  3. Health & Medicine

    A new tool could one day improve Lyme disease diagnosis

    There soon could be a way to differentiate between Lyme disease and a similar tick-associated illness.

  4. Health & Medicine

    More U.S. adults are drinking, and more heavily

    Heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders have risen in the United States, at a cost to society’s health.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Spread of misfolded proteins could trigger type 2 diabetes

    Experiments in mice raise the question of whether type 2 diabetes might be transmissible.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Most football players who donated their brains to science had traumatic injury

    A self-selected sample of 202 deceased football players, the largest to date, finds that the majority suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Cows produce powerful HIV antibodies

    For the first time in any animal, researchers elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV. Cows’ antibodies could help with drug development.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Drinking sugary beverages in pregnancy linked to kids’ later weight gain

    Consuming sugary drinks while pregnant may mean kids are heavier when they reach elementary school age.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Getting a flu ‘shot’ could soon be as easy as sticking on a Band-Aid

    Microneedle patches may make home-based vaccination a reality.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Protein in Parkinson’s provokes the immune system

    The immune system recognizes parts of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease as foreign, triggering an autoimmune response.

  11. Health & Medicine

    New kind of ‘tan in a bottle’ may one day protect against skin cancer

    A drug for activating melanin production without using ultraviolet radiation works in human skin samples.

  12. Health & Medicine

    When preventing HIV, bacteria in the vagina matter

    Vaginal bacteria affect how well microbicide gels used to prevent HIV work.