Nancy Shute

Editor in Chief

Nancy Shute joined the staff in February 2018 as the editor in chief of Science News. Shute is a science journalist in print, digital and broadcast, and a lecturer and trainer in science writing and multimedia journalism.  She is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers, the United States’ largest and oldest science writing membership organization. Before joining Science News, Shute was cohost of NPR’s health blog, Shots, and contributed news coverage and radio features to NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition.  She also has written for national publications, including National Geographic and Scientific American. While serving as assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, Shute led the magazine’s award-winning coverage of science and technology.  As a senior writer for U.S. News, she led group investigations and reporting projects, and authored dozens of cover stories. Shute trains journalists and scientists in the uses of social media and other new media technologies. She taught science writing at Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs. Additionally, Shute has been a science writer in residence at the University of Wisconsin, and guest lecturer at major universities, including Columbia, NYU, the University of Maryland, Georgetown and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

All Stories by Nancy Shute

  1. 50 years on, Lucy still sparks our curiosity

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute recounts the 50-year anniversary of the hominid's discovery, which upended the study of human evolution.

  2. Rethinking archaeology and place

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses efforts of Indigenous people in British Columbia to preserve ancient trails.

  3. Taking the temperature of democracy

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the science of studying democracies.

  4. Embracing the collective nature of science

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute celebrates this year's SN10: Scientists to Watch and novel approaches to research.

  5. When pain really is in your head

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the complexity of chronic pain, the spread of diseases and training crocs to avoid eating certain toads.

  6. Of frogs and the people who love them

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses frogs and chytrid fungus, trilobite fossils and a dinosaur named after the Norse god of mischief.

  7. Striving to break the global grip of malnutrition

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the quest for solutions in challenges such as childhood malnutrition, Andean bear conservation and assessing AI’s cognition.

  8. AI is coming to medicine, but it’s got a lot to learn

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the present and future of using artificial intelligence technology in medicine.

  9. Celebrating the second law of thermodynamics

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute talks about the history and enduring mysteries of the second law of thermodynamics.

  10. Science and the challenges of evidence-based forensics

  11. The typical Science News reader is ever so atypical

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute reflects on the evolution of Science News' typical reader.

  12. Rethinking how we live with wildfires

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses a new approach for managing wildfires that includes collaboration with local and Indigenous communities.