![Aimee Cunningham](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/a_cunningham.jpg?resize=214%2C214&ssl=1)
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."
![](https://www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module-sm@2x.jpg)
Trustworthy journalism comes at a price.
Scientists and journalists share a core belief in questioning, observing and verifying to reach the truth. Science News reports on crucial research and discovery across science disciplines. We need your financial support to make it happen – every contribution makes a difference.
All Stories by Aimee Cunningham
- Chemistry
Sweet Synthesis: Fructose product could replace chemicals from oil
A new study describes the efficient use of fructose toward making a renewable building block for many useful chemicals.
- Materials Science
Seeing the light
Researchers have developed a smart petri dish that signals cell death with intense light.
- Earth
Toxic Leftovers: Microbes convert flame retardant
Bacteria can break down a common flame retardant into more-toxic forms.
- Chemistry
Carbon Goes Glam: Treated carbon dots fluoresce
Chemists have fashioned tiny dots of carbon that glow in response to light.
- Chemistry
Gritty Clues
Archaeologists are tying chemical signatures found in the soil to past human activity.
- Ecosystems
Top-Down Lowdown: Predators shape coastal ecosystem
The health of southern California kelp forests may depend more on the ecosystem's predator population than the forest's access to nutrients.
- Chemistry
Leaking lead
A disinfectant used by some U.S. water utilities dissolves lead in laboratory experiments.
- Tech
Directing tubular traffic
Researchers have shown that they can steer individual protein tubes along tiny channels of a glass chip.
- Materials Science
Feeling cagey
Researchers have discovered that gold can take the shape of nanoscale, hollow cages.
- Earth
Tainted by Cleanser: Antimicrobial agent persists in sludge
About 76 percent of a commonly used antimicrobial agent exits sewage-treatment plants as a component of the sludge that's often used as a farm fertilizer.
- Earth
Particular Problems
Toxicologists and chemists are forging a new field called nanotoxicology as they grapple with assessing the safety of engineered nanoparticles.
- Tech
Long-lasting liposomes
A coat of nanoparticles can prevent a popular lab-made capsule from fusing with its neighbors and losing its structure.