Alexandra Witze

Contributing Correspondent

Alexandra Witze is a contributing correspondent based in Boulder, Colorado. Among other exotic locales, her reporting has taken her to Maya ruins in the jungles of Guatemala, among rotting corpses at the University of Tennessee's legendary "Body Farm," and to a floating sea-ice camp at the North Pole. She has a bachelor's degree in geology from MIT and a graduate certification in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Among her honors are the Science-in-Society award from the National Association of Science Writers (shared with Tom Siegfried), and the American Geophysical Union's award for feature journalism. She coauthored the book Island on Fire, about the 18th-century eruption of the Icelandic volcano Laki.

All Stories by Alexandra Witze

  1. Space

    Proposed type of solar neutrino spotted

    The existence of these long-sought particles confirms theories about the fusion reactions that power the sun.

  2. Earth

    Big volcanoes wake up fast

    Crystal chemistry suggests magma changes quickly before a huge eruption.

  3. Space

    Solar storm

    A solar flare sets off auroras around the Arctic Circle.

  4. Climate

    Humans’ greenhouse gas emissions throw next ice age off schedule

  5. Life

    Deep Life

    Teeming masses of organisms thrive beneath the seafloor.

  6. Earth

    Carbonation brings diamonds to surface

    Chemical reactions deep inside the Earth fuel magma’s gem-laden upward journey.

  7. Life

    Crabs hither, shrimp thither

    Biologists document surprising differences among deep-sea animals at hydrothermal vent fields.

  8. Chemistry

    In a Squeeze

    Elements under pressure reveal secrets of extreme chemistry.

  9. Chemistry

    Molecule ties itself in a complex knot

    Chemists synthesize a five-crossing structure centered on chloride.

  10. Animals

    Deep-sea glow serves as bait

    Marine bacteria light up to get a ride elsewhere.

  11. Paleontology

    Early animals dethroned

    Cell division patterns in controversial Chinese fossils place them outside the animal kingdom.

  12. Humans

    Fewer fires in Africa these days

    How flames spread, not how frequently people start them, controls burning on the continent.