Elizabeth Quill

Elizabeth Quill

Executive Editor, 2015-2024

Elizabeth Quill is former executive editor of Science News. During two periods at the magazine, from 2008 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2024, she edited stories and special projects on topics ranging from public health to AI, from climate change to quantum physics. She managed the SN 10: Scientists to Watch list and the Century of Science project and served as editorial coordinator for the Science News Learning program. Originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Elizabeth studied journalism at Ithaca College and received her master’s degree in science writing from MIT.

All Stories by Elizabeth Quill

  1. Seeking a definition

    Pitch is determined by a sound’s frequency. Notes that sit in different positions on a musical scale, called tones, have different pitches. Modern Western music, for example, combines 12 tones, with the A at the middle of a piano keyboard having a frequency of 440 hertz. Other cultures work with fewer tones. The first few […]

  2. Not just a pleasant sound

    When people use music to share stories, comfort peers or worship gods, it takes on new meaning. Music’s roles vary depending on time and place.  Bonding: Battle hymns, national anthems and alma maters unite people for a common cause and make them feel that they are a part of something larger. Marching bands (shown), for […]

  3. Evidence of ancient roots

    Though early hominids may have made sweet sounds by banging sticks and stones together, the oldest distinguishable instrument dates to 40,000 years ago.  A flute made from vulture bone (shown) and others made from mammoth ivory have been found in Hohle Fels cave near Ulm, Germany, and date from 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. Holes […]

  4. A mind for music

    Infancy’s Symphony | Photo by Carey Wolinsky Read features from the special edition Articles in A mind for music. | Go Download a PDF of the special edition Exclusive for Science News subscribers.Download Download PDF | Subscribe There are very few activities for which your birthday suit and a three-piece suit are equally appropriate attire. […]

  5. Astronomy

    Can you hear me now?

    Astronomers reconsider how extraterrestrials could make contact.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Healthy teeth, healthy people

    Talk leaves journalists flossing for details on oral health.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Bullies’ brains empathize, but with a twist

    Brain imaging studies show teens with aggressive conduct disorder display greater brain activity while viewing video of others in pain.

  8. Neuroscience

    It’s written all over your face

    To potential mates, your mug may reveal more than you think.

  9. Math

    The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives

    Leonard Mlodinow, Pantheon Books, 2008, 272 p., $24.95.

  10. Life

    BOOK REVIEW | Amazon Expeditions: My Quest for the Ice-Age Equator

    Review by Elizabeth Quill.

  11. Health & Medicine

    BOOK REVIEW | Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life

    Review by Elizabeth Quill.