Bethany Brookshire

Bethany Brookshire was a longtime staff writer at Science News Explores and is the author of the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She was a 2019-2020 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, the winner of the Society for Neuroscience Next Generation Award and the Three Quarks Daily Science Writing Award, among others.

All Stories by Bethany Brookshire

  1. Health & Medicine

    Can you really die of a broken heart?

    Death by heartbreak doesn't just happen in stories. In real life, severe stress can cause takotsubo syndrome — a sometimes fatal heart problem.

  2. Ecosystems

    There’s life beneath the snow — but it’s at risk of melting away

    The organisms that make winter homes in this subnivium help forests thrive year-round. But climate change is making this ecosystem disappear.

  3. Brain

    This neuroscientist looks at how your brain plans for the future

    Freek van Ede studies how the brain selects information to plan for the future. He’s finding clues in the tiny movements people make with their eyes.

  4. Animals

    Werewolves could learn from other critters when to hunt

    Werewolves aren’t the only creatures that undergo transformation under the full moon. But could weak werewolves be at risk of becoming prey?

  5. Chemistry

    Explainer: How cells use chemistry to make the electricity of life

    Charged particles, or ions, constantly move in and out of cells. These migrations produce tiny electric currents, which power your brain, heart and more.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Explainer: Anatomy of a heartbeat

    Here’s how the heart pumps blood to each and every cell of the body. It beats roughly 60 times every minute, starting before we’re born.

  7. Brain

    Zap, zap, zap! Our bodies are electric

    Electricity powers key functions in the brain, heart and bone. Scientists are working to understand those currents to improve our health and moods.

  8. Animals

    Phoenixes aren’t the only creatures to survive the flames 

    Although a phoenix that burns and lives is a myth, many living things on Earth don’t mind hot temperatures. 

  9. Animals

    Explainer: What is animal domestication?

    The difference between a dog and a wolf isn’t looks or genes or even behavior. It’s the relationship these animals have with people.

  10. Animals

    Cougars pushed out by wildfires took more risks around roads

    After an intense burn in 2018 in California, big cats in the region crossed roads more often. That put them at higher risk of becoming roadkill.

  11. Animals

    Cars hit more deer in the week after daylight saving time ends

    In the days right after most Americans turn back the clock, vehicle crashes with deer increase by 16 percent, a new study shows.

  12. Archaeology

    Rats can chronicle human history

    Rats have lived alongside people for thousands of years. Now, scientists can study the rats and their leavings to learn more about ourselves.

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