Meghan Rosen headhsot

Meghan Rosen

Staff Writer, Biological Sciences

Meghan Rosen is a staff writer who reports on the life sciences for Science News. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the University of California, Davis, and later graduated from the science communication program at UC Santa Cruz. Prior to joining Science News in 2022, she was a media relations manager at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her work has appeared in Wired, Science, and The Washington Post, among other outlets. Once for McSweeney’s, she wrote about her kids’ habit of handing her trash, a story that still makes her (and them) laugh.

All Stories by Meghan Rosen

  1. Life

    Chemical magic transforms skin cells into nerve cells

    Just a few chemicals can transform skin cells from Alzheimer’s patients and healthy people into nerve cells.

  2. Paleontology

    Museum fossil links snakes to lizards

    Scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of the first four-legged snake. The fossil bridges the gap between snakes and lizards.

  3. Paleontology

    50-million-year-old fossil sperm discovered

    Ancient worm sperm preserved in 50-million-year-old cocoons from Antarctica set age record.

  4. Genetics

    Genetic switch wipes out tumors in mice

    By switching on a single gene, researchers turned cancer cells in mice back into normal intestinal tissue.

  5. Animals

    Giant pandas live in the slow lane

    Giant pandas burn far less energy than similarly sized land mammals.

  6. Tech

    3-D–printed body helps jumping robot land on its feet

    To launch itself into the air, a jumping robot relies on a 3-D–printed body made of a gradient of soft and stiff plastics.

  7. Tech

    Plastic shell lets roach-bot squeeze through gaps

    An arched shell helps a six-legged robot shimmy past obstacles.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Smell test may detect autism

    A quick sniff test could reveal whether or not a child has autism, but some scientists have doubts.

  9. Physics

    ‘The Science of TV’s the Big Bang Theory’ educates as it entertains

    A science book inspired by fictional scientists helps readers understand everything from particle physics to potato electricity.

  10. Tiny tweaks helped flu strains thwart 2014-2015 vaccine

    Changes to the flu strains circulating around the Northern Hemisphere explain why last year’s flu vaccine didn’t work so well.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Switching off nerve cells eases asthma attacks

    A drug that numbs nerve cells in mice’s airways offers a new way to ease the effects of an asthma attack.

  12. Genetics

    Ivory DNA pinpoints poaching hot spots

    Genetic analysis of ivory DNA reveals major poaching hot spots in Africa.