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. A key technology could transform the power grid

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses ways to upgrade power grids to be more climate friendly.

  2. Extreme weather threatens human health worldwide

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses how extreme heat waves and wildfires are harming human health around the world.

  3. From our brains to gravity, how science surprises us

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses how science unravels mysteries, such as missing chunks of brain, gravity's strength and the start of the Viking era.

  4. Boys and girls are suffering, but in different ways

  5. Quantum computing may break the internet

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses internet security and the development of new quantum-proof encryption methods.

  6. Charting a course for the future of Science News

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute reflects on the history and future of Science News.

  7. The animal kingdom never ceases to amaze

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute revels in the wonder of animals, from psychedelic toads to extinct pterosaurs.

  8. The many challenges of exploring hidden realms

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the challenges of studying the invisible or inaccessible, from the seafloor to hidden caverns buried underneath solid ice.

  9. Did artificial intelligence write this editor’s note?

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the implications of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT for education, journalism and more.

  10. Where does plastic go when we’re done with it?

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the ubiquity of microplastics in food, water, air and the body.

  11. Good with tools? You may be a cockatoo

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute talks about smart animals, from tool-using cockatoos to "self-aware" fish.

  12. How the science of rocks is like the science of humans

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute examines how a simple question can lead to a complex search for answers in both geology and human psychology.