Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments, which investigated how traits are inherited, is the stuff (fluff?) of science legend. But what about his lesser-known experiments with sugar-coated marshmallow chicks? A diorama of the 19th century Augustinian monk’s work with Peep plants has won the Golden Peep in the third annual World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest.
Rapidly advancing prenatal testing technology may soon hand parents the routine decision of what kind of child they will, or won’t, bring into the world. A prime example is Down syndrome, where in countries like Denmark, a majority of families who receive a prenatal diagnosis of the condition decide to end their pregnancies. Atlantic reporter Sarah Zhang recounts how she found a fresh way to report on Down syndrome and how she got parents to open up to her.
The past year is littered with tales of the rich and privileged living as if there were no pandemic. One of them, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, in defiance of a Southern California stay-at-home order, threw an in-person conference that would become a superspreader event, as MIT Technology Review‘s Eileen Guo reveals. Here, BuzzFeed News’s Stephanie M. Lee looks at how Guo’s story came together.
With hundreds of thousands of journals publishing new studies, it can be overwhelming to determine which titles are reputable and contain story-worthy findings. Veteran reporters and editors share their strategies for finding and following new journals, accessing studies’ full text, and vetting the credibility of journals through metrics and solid reporting.
We’re delighted to announce the first of our Science Journalism Master Classes, a series of online courses that will be delivered by email. Our hands-on classes are designed to help science writers wherever they are in their careers—novice, developing, or established—sharpen the core skills this business requires. And thanks to a generous grant from The Kavli Foundation, our courses are free to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Writers are embracing email newsletters as a self-publishing platform, but resources on starting one are lacking. Aspiring newsletter writers must choose a topic, a platform, a promotion strategy, and more to get started. But for all its challenges, a newsletter can be a great way for a writer to hone their writing skills, fill a gap in news coverage, and form a more personal connection with their readers.
Close-ups from a few entries in the 2021 #PeepYourScience contest.
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