Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson

Multimedia Editor

Helen Thompson is the multimedia editor at Science News. She makes videos, creates data visuals, helps manage the website, wrangles cats and occasionally writes about things like dandelion flight and whale evolution. She has undergraduate degrees in biology and English from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, a master’s degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and strong opinions about tacos. Before Science News, she wrote for Smithsonian, NPR.org, National Geographic, Nature and others.

All Stories by Helen Thompson

  1. Animals

    Size matters to lizards, but numbers may not

    Scientists have sized up the quantitative abilities of lizards and found that reptiles may not be as good with numbers as other vertebrates.

  2. Ecosystems

    Volcanic eruptions nearly snuffed out Gentoo penguin colony

    Penguin poop dumps data on how a Gentoo colony responded to ancient volcanic eruptions.

  3. Ecosystems

    Volcanic eruptions nearly snuffed out Gentoo penguin colony

    Penguin poop dumps data on how a Gentoo colony responded to ancient volcanic eruptions.

  4. Animals

    Mosquito flight is unlike that of any other insect

    High-speed video and modeling reveal a more complex understanding of mosquito flight.

  5. Animals

    Tool use in sea otters doesn’t run in the family

    A genetic study suggests that tool-use behavior isn’t hereditary in sea otters, and that only some animals need to use tools due to the type of food available in their ecosystem.

  6. Paleontology

    Under lasers, a feathered dino shows some skin

    Laser-stimulated fluorescence reveals detailed images of soft tissue in a feathered dinosaur from 160 million years ago.

  7. Animals

    Tropical bedbugs outclimb common bedbugs

    A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.

  8. Animals

    Tropical bedbugs outclimb common species

    A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.

  9. Astronomy

    In new Cassini portraits, Saturn’s moon Pan looks like pasta

    Photographs taken this week by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provide a closer view of Saturn’s small moon Pan, which resembles ravioli.

  10. Astronomy

    Saturn’s moon Pan looks like ravioli

    Photographs taken this week by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provide a closer view of Saturn’s small moon Pan, which resembles ravioli.

  11. Archaeology

    Ancient dental plaque tells tales of Neandertal diet and disease

    Researchers have reconstructed the diet and disease history of ancient Neandertals.

  12. Archaeology

    Ancient dental plaque tells tales of Neandertal diet and disease

    Researchers have reconstructed the diet and disease history of ancient Neandertals.