Bethany Brookshire

Staff Writer, Science News for Students, 2013–2021

Bethany Brookshire was the staff writer at Science News for Students from 2013 to 2021. She has a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She is also a host on the podcast Science for the People, and a 2019-2020 MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow.

All Stories by Bethany Brookshire

  1. Physics

    On the biomechanics of popcorn

    When popcorn pops, the biomechanics resemble both an explosion and a spring.

  2. Neuroscience

    How the brain sees follow-through

    The follow-through on your golf swing is more than just a way to use up extra energy. It’s part of how your brain “sees” a movement.

  3. Ecosystems

    ‘Earth: A New Wild’ puts people in the picture

    PBS nature series ‘Earth: A New Wild’ shows humans living with, and not off, their environments

  4. Science & Society

    Attitude, not aptitude, may contribute to the gender gap

    Does talent or hard work matter most? A new survey suggests an emphasis on genius predicts how many women end up in a field of study.

  5. Neuroscience

    To beat sleepiness of anxiety drugs, team looks to body’s clock

    Studying basic functions, such as the body’s clock, has inadvertently led to a compound that relieves anxiety in mice.

  6. Life

    Fossil fish eye has 300 million-year-old rods and cones

    A fossil fish shows the earliest evidence of rods and cones, cells essential for color vision in vertebrates.

  7. Animals

    The scent of a worry

    The smell of fear makes other rats stressed. Now, scientists have isolated the Eau de Terror that lets rats communicate their concerns.

  8. Science & Society

    This study of hype in press releases will change journalism

    A survey of press releases and their related scientific studies shows that hype may creep from press releases to news coverage. But this doesn’t give anyone at any stage of the news cycle a pass.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Electric detection of lung cancer

    In 1964, researchers hoped to improve lung cancer diagnosis by measuring the skin’s electrical resistance.

  10. Neuroscience

    Cocoa antioxidant sweetens cognition in elderly

    Very high doses of antioxidants found in cocoa may prevent some types of cognitive decline in older adults. But that’s not an excuse to eat more chocolate.

  11. Animals

    ‘Tis the season for white-nose syndrome in bats

    While bats are active, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome stays put in the caves the bats call home in winter. New findings show how the fungus varies through the seasons.

  12. Science & Society

    Compassionate colleagues can help labs restart after disaster

    Scientists plan for many things, but often not for disaster. Two scientists share their story of recovery after Superstorm Sandy.