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. Life

    Octopuses move with uncoordinated arms

    An octopus crawls unlike any other animal. Mimicking the cephalopod’s control over its movements may lead to more agile robots.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Genes may influence placebo effect

    Certain gene variants may predispose people to experience the placebo effect, which may have implications for clinical trials and personalized medicine.

  3. Paleontology

    Fossil reveals terror bird’s power

    Bones of a new terror bird confirm the creatures used their beaks to hatchet their prey but also raise questions about what drove the birds extinct.

  4. Astronomy

    The art of astronomy

    Astronomer Zoltan Levay uses the Hubble Space Telescope to create stunning images of cosmic landscapes.

  5. Neuroscience

    Brains may be wired to count calories, make healthy choices

    Fruit flies appear to make memories of the calories in the food they eat, an observation that may have implications for weight control in humans.

  6. Animals

    ‘The Last Unicorn’ takes readers on quest to see a saola

    Nature writer William deBuys introduces readers to the enigmatic saola of Southeast Asia.

  7. Neuroscience

    Rats can navigate mazes, even when blind

    Blind rats can learn to navigate with a compass and microchip prosthetic wired into their brains. Similar devices may one day help humans have super senses.

  8. Tech

    Exoskeleton boot makes for more efficient walking

    Newly developed exoskeleton boots that are unpowered are showing scientists that it is still possible to make walking even more efficient for humans.

  9. Humans

    Egg-meet-sperm moments are equal opportunities for girls and boys

    Despite previous claims, equal numbers of male and female embryos are conceived, new data suggest.

  10. Genetics

    Ebola virus not mutating as quickly as thought

    The virus causing the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa is not evolving as quickly as some scientists had suggested.

  11. Genetics

    Iceland lays bare its genomes

    A detailed genetic portrait of the Icelandic population is helping scientists to identify the genetic underpinnings of disease.

  12. Neuroscience

    The brain sees words, even nonsense ones, as pictures

    Once we learn a word, our brain sees the string of letters as a picture, even if the word isn't a real one.