Janet Raloff

Janet Raloff

Editor, Digital, Science News Explores

Editor Janet Raloff has been a part of the Science News Media Group since 1977. While a staff writer at Science News, she covered the environment, toxicology, energy, science policy, agriculture and nutrition. She was among the first to give national visibility to such issues as electromagnetic pulse weaponry and hormone-mimicking pollutants, and was the first anywhere to report on the widespread tainting of streams and groundwater sources with pharmaceuticals. A founding board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, her writing has won awards from groups including the National Association of Science Writers. In July 2007, while still writing for Science News, Janet took over Science News Explores (then known as Science News for Kids) as a part-time responsibility. Over the next six years, she expanded the magazine's depth, breadth and publication cycle. Since 2013, she also oversaw an expansion of its staffing from three part-timers to a full-time staff of four and a freelance staff of some 35 other writers and editors. Before joining Science News, Janet was managing editor of Energy Research Reports (outside Boston), a staff writer at Chemistry (an American Chemical Society magazine) and a writer/editor for Chicago's Adler Planetarium. Initially an astronomy major, she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (with an elective major in physics).

All Stories by Janet Raloff

  1. Agriculture

    Pesticide potency can depend on bug’s clock

    The daily rhythms in gene activity can affect the toxicity of some poisons.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Collins takes helm at NIH

    Renowned geneticist will lead the world's largest biomedical research enterprise.

  3. Health & Medicine

    BPA: House tries to put feds on the spot

    New legislation has a proviso asking for a reanalysis of a widely used plasticizer's safety.

  4. Science & Society

    News of science: Choose wisely

    As the 'news' industry evolves, consumers who value quality science journalism may need to become ever more discriminating.

  5. Health & Medicine

    When BPA-free isn’t

    A type of plastic that shouldn't contain a hormone-mimicking ingredient may have it anyway, Canadian government scientist find.

  6. Chemistry

    Beehive extract: Coming to the Tour de France?

    Bees may have a performance-enhancing answer for hot blooded pursuits.

  7. Agriculture

    How weed killers might protect our eyes: It’s corny

    Herbicides can boost trace-nutrient concentrations in sweet corn.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Pre-chewed baby food can spread HIV

    An age-old cultural practice may offer new dangers in the era of AIDS.

  9. Tech

    Electric grid still very vulnerable to electromagnetic weaponry

    BLOG: Smart grid advocates weigh in on the vulnerability of the U.S. electrical infrastructure to electromagnetic pulse radiation.

  10. Humans

    Traffic hydrocarbons linked to lower IQs in kids

    Prenatal exposures to common air pollutants correlate with a drop in intelligence scores.

  11. Earth

    Pollution vs health reform

    Health care reform should include investments in measures that curb the pervasive pollution contributing to costly disability and disease.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Postmenopausal hormones up cancer risk

    Danish researchers weigh in fairly conclusively on the risk of one especially deadly cancer.