photo of Ashley Yeager

Ashley Yeager

Associate News Editor

Ashley Yeager is the associate news editor at Science News. Previously, she worked at The Scientist, where she was an associate editor for nearly three years. She has also worked as a freelance editor and writer, and as a writer at the Simons Foundation, Duke University and the W.M. Keck Observatory. She was the web producer for Science News from 2013 to 2015, and was an intern at the magazine in the summer of 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Her book, Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter and Beyond, on the life of astronomer Vera Rubin, will be published by MIT Press in August.

All Stories by Ashley Yeager

  1. Paleontology

    Asteroid strike spurred quick chill that led to dinosaurs’ demise

    After an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago, ocean temperatures fell 2 degrees Celsius, leading to mass extinction of dinosaurs and other life.

  2. Life

    Pain may keep predators away, in squid anyway

    Compared to healthy squid, injured ones start their defensive behaviors, including inking, when sea bass are farther away.

  3. Genetics

    Spider genomes give hints about venom, silk production

    The genetic codes identify new proteins that may be involved in making and turning on toxins in venom and also those used to make spider silk.

  4. Climate

    Tropics leave trace in Arctic warming

    Cooling temperatures in the Pacific may be responsible for the recent rapid warming of northeastern Canada and Greenland.

  5. Paleontology

    Oldest true dolphin species gets a new name

    A dolphin species first described in the 1970s has gotten a new name but still retains the title of oldest true dolphin species identified to date.

  6. Paleontology

    Dinosaurs could take tough breaks

    Meat-eating dinosaurs may have survived some extremely bad bone breaks, according to detailed chemical maps of the fossils.

  7. Climate

    Federal report details climate change in U.S.

    The latest National Climate Assessment was released by federal officials May 6.

  8. Anthropology

    Peruvian glyphs pointed way to ancient celebrations

    At least 2,300 years ago, Paracas people in the Chincha Valley of Peru were engineering their landscape to keep time and host ritual and social activities.

  9. Physics

    Exciton

    Getting excited can kick a person’s energy to a higher level. At the nanoscale, strange almost-particles called excitons do the same trick.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Musicians have elevated risk of hearing loss

    Compared to the general public, professional musicians' risk of hearing loss and ringing in the ears is higher, a new study shows.

  11. Paleontology

    Loblolly sets record for biggest genome

    At 20 billion base pairs, the loblolly pine is the largest genome sequenced to date.

  12. Humans

    Neandertals’ inferiority to early humans questioned

    Early modern humans may not have been smarter or more technologically or socially savvy than their Neandertal neighbors.