Sofie Bates

Science Writing Intern, Fall 2019

Sofie Bates was the Fall 2019 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a degree in genetics from the University of California, Davis, as well as a master’s in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her writing has appeared in Science, Mongabay, Inside Science, and The Mercury News. As a science videographer, she has filmed and edited videos for Inside Science and The Mercury News.

All Stories by Sofie Bates

  1. Climate

    A new estimate triples the number of people in the path of rising seas

    Sea level rise could flood coastal areas now home to 340 million to 480 million people by 2100, with Asia most affected, a study finds.

  2. Life

    Aye-ayes just got weirder with the discovery of a tiny, sixth ‘finger’

    Aye-ayes have a sixth “finger,” or pseudothumb, that may compensate for other, overspecialized fingers by helping the lemurs grip things.

  3. Animals

    White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird

    White bellbirds have the loudest mating call, according to scientists who compared the songs of bellbirds and screaming pihas in the Brazilian Amazon.

  4. Health & Medicine

    These tiny aquatic animals secrete a compound that may help fight snail fever

    A newly identified molecule from rotifers paralyzes the larvae of worms that cause schistosomiasis, which affects over 200 million people worldwide.

  5. Health & Medicine

    A precision drug for prostate cancer may slow the disease’s spread

    The drug olaparib could be used to treat men with certain genetic mutations and severe types of prostate cancer, a clinical trial finds.

  6. Animals

    Humpback whales use their flippers and bubble ‘nets’ to catch fish

    A study reveals new details of how humpback whales hunt using their flippers and a whirl of bubbles to capture fish.

  7. Space

    With 20 new moons, Saturn now has the most of any solar system planet

    The discovery brings Saturn’s moon tally to 82. The previous record-holder, Jupiter, has 79.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Rare eastern equine encephalitis has killed 9 people in the U.S. in 2019

    2019 is the worst eastern equine encephalitis outbreak since tracking began in 2003, with 31 cases and nine deaths from the brain infection so far.

  9. Earth

    Hurricane Lorenzo hit Category 5 farther east than any other storm

    Lorenzo reached category 5 status on September 28, making it the northern-most and eastern-most category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Disabling one protein might one day lead to a cure for the common cold

    Scientists have identified a protein in humans that some viruses, including those that cause colds, need to spread.

  11. Life

    Cats may have ‘attachment styles’ that mirror people’s

    In a new study, 65 percent of felines formed secure attachments with their owners. Like people, other cats were ambivalent or avoidant.