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. Health & Medicine

    Rabbit heart gets full electrode jacket

    A silicon jacket makes it possible for scientists to place sensors on specific areas of the heart without glue or stitches and could one day be used for diagnosing and treating human heart diseases.

  2. Astronomy

    China’s lunar rover alive, but still crippled

    Mechanical issues are preventing the Yutu lunar rover from exploring the moon's surface as designed.

  3. Genetics

    Genes involved in dog OCD identified

    Scientists say they have identified several of the genes that trigger obsessive-compulsive disorder in Doberman pinschers, bullterriers, sheepdogs and German shepherds.

  4. Quantum Physics

    History affects superfluid’s flow, study shows

    The speed to stop the stirring motion can be slower than what was need to set the fluid spinning in the first place, which shows that what happens to the current state of the superatom depends on what it has already experienced.

  5. Neuroscience

    Video games could boost reading skills in dyslexia

    People with dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder, have a harder time switching from visual cues to auditory ones, but the constant shifts in video games may help improve the how quickly individuals perceive the change.

  6. Animals

    Some crocodiles go out on, or up, a limb to hunt, keep warm

    Observations of crocodiles from Australia, Africa and North America show that four species could waddle up and along branches above water. They do this to regulate their temperature and look for prey, scientists suggest.

  7. Life

    Nonhuman city natives in decline but can be conserved

    Cities have been a downer on biodiversity but native populations still remain in urban areas, offering a starting point for possible conservation efforts.

  8. Astronomy

    China’s lunar rover fails to connect with controllers (updated)

    Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, could not be restored to full function, Chinese media report.

  9. Materials Science

    Graphene-based material prevents blood clots

    When researchers coated a plastic film with the new material, clotting was greatly reduced and continued even after three days.

  10. Genetics

    Origin of Tibetans’ high-altitude adaptations found

    Mixing genes of two ancestral populations gave modern Tibetans their ability to withstand high altitude.

  11. Chemistry

    Swapping electrolytes could prevent big battery fires

    Researchers now say they have designed a nonflammable lithium ion battery that is as effective as what is already in use.

  12. Astronomy

    Oldest star provides hints about first supernovas

    The chemical composition of star SMSS J031300.362670839.3 and four others suggests that the explosions of the early universe weren't big enough to seed galaxies with iron.