Decolonizing Science Writing in South Africa

Last October, South African science journalist Sibusiso Biyela received one of the toughest assignments of his career: to write about a fossil discovery in his native language of Zulu. The problem was, there’s no word for “dinosaur” in Zulu. Nor are there words for “Jurassic,” “evolution,” or even “fossil.” In this story, Biyela tackles the history behind South Africa’s science-language divide and writes about how he and other South African science journalists are working to overcome it.

Sibusiso Biyela Feb 12, 2019

The Open Notebook Announces New Funding Support from Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

We are thrilled to announce two exciting sources of financial support in 2019, from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This new support will help us expand The Open Notebook‘s reach and impact and to build new resources for the science journalism community.

TON Editors Feb 7, 2019

Elaina Plott Explores Everyday Life on a Sinking Island

Scientists project that Tangier Island, a fishing community in the Chesapeake Bay, might be uninhabitable in 25 years—but locals don’t buy it. In her Pacific Standard portrait of a cozy town fighting a changing climate and a changing culture, Elaina Plott shows what climate science and climate politics look like at street level. She spoke to TON about the power of asking sources basic questions, the keys to small-town field reporting, and why opinions and empathy might both be overrated.

Olga Kreimer Feb 5, 2019

Christie Aschwanden Tackles the Science of Exercise Recovery

Christie Aschwanden thought writing a book about how the body recovers from exercise and builds resilience for further challenges should be easy. In her mind’s eye, she could almost picture how the chapters would unspool. But as she dug into reporting and writing her new book, Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery, she learned how mistaken she’d been—laughably so, she says.

Siri Carpenter Jan 29, 2019

Getting Started in Science Journalism

Are you new to science writing? Or are you just thinking about getting into the field and wondering what it’s all about? The Open Notebook has published more than 350 articles and other resources aimed at helping science journalists sharpen their skills—and helping newcomers get started. This page contains a small subset of those resources, with a focus on what’s most relevant to new science writers.

Laura Beil Dissects a Criminal Doctor’s Surgical Rampage

In the overwhelmingly popular podcast Dr. Death, Laura Beil chronicles the astonishing string of surgeries botched by Dallas-area neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. Throughout the series, Beil grapples with what allowed such an inept surgeon to kill two patients and harm 31 others before he was finally stopped. And, she reveals that this could easily happen again. Beil tells Zamzow how Dr. Death fell into her lap, how she adapted to audio storytelling, and how she has handled the podcast’s success.

Rachel Zamzow Jan 22, 2019