Muse magazine
My YourTech column about technology and ethics appears in every issue. As a contributing editor, I also assist with reviewing and fact-checking.
Science News for Students
My author page contains links to all of my recent articles.
Front Vision
This is a Chinese-language children’s science magazine.
Recently Published
How to design artificial intelligence that acts nice — and only nice
Science News Explores, April 18, 2024
‘Jailbreaks’ bring out the evil side of chatbots
Science News Explores, April 18, 2024
A new tool could guard against deepfake voice scams
Science News Explores, April 15, 2024
Science@Work: Serge Wich
Muse, Vol. 28, No. 04, April 2024
Fighting Back Against Malaria
Front Vision, April 2024
When Art Comes Alive
Front Vision, March 2024
To ‘green’ AI, scientists are making it less resource-hungry
Science News Explores, February 8, 2024
Harvesting Energy from the Human Body
Front Vision, February 2024
Chatbots in the Classroom
Muse, Vol. 28, No. 02, February 2024
Hands-On: Bot or Not?
Muse, Vol. 28, No. 02, February 2024
Color – It’s Elemental!
色彩即元素, Front Vision, January 2024
2023
Why biodiversity matters
为什么生物多样性很重要, Front Vision, December 2023
Talking through a tube can trick AI into mistaking one voice for another
Science News Explores, October 23, 2023
How stress harms your health
压力如何损伤 你的身体, Front Vision, October 2023
Crops are being engineered to thrive in our changing climate
Science News Explores, September 21, 2023
Will AI take all the jobs?
人工智能会抢走所有工作吗, Front Vision, September 2023
Science@Work: Nicho Hatsopoulos
Muse, Vol. 27, No. 07, September 2023
How artificial intelligence could help us talk to animals
Science News Explores, August 17, 2023
What is my pet saying? Scientists are working to find out
Science News Explores, August 17, 2023
The Beginnings and Ends of Time
时间的开始与结束, Front Vision, July 2023
Is AI More Rational Than People?
Front Vision, June 2023
Let There Be Laser Light
激光的特性、原理和用途, Front Vision, May 2023
How ChatGPT and similar AI will disrupt education
Science News, April 12, 2023
Here’s how to increase clean energy without harming wildlife
Science News Explores, April 6, 2023
What Animals Teach Us About Aging
动物与衰老, Front Vision, April 2023
Creating less new stuff could greatly help Earth’s climate
Science News Explores, March 16, 2023
A single chip like this could transmit a world’s worth of data
Science News Explores, March 10, 2023
Sleep helps AI models learn new things without forgetting old ones
Science News Explores, February 22, 2023
Think twice before using ChatGPT for help with homework
Science News Explores, February 16, 2023
Can a robot ever become your friend?
Science News Explores, February 2, 2023
Photo Op: Breathtaking First Images from the JWST
Muse, Vol. 27, No. 02, February 2023
Insect-inspired drones work together to 3-D print structures
Science News Explores, January 23, 2023
Will the internet soon reach the one-third of people without it?
Science News Explores, January 5, 2023
What Makes a Timekeeper Tick?
钟表运转的奥秘, Front Vision, January 2023
2022
A shape-shifting robotic tooth-cleaner might one day brush for you
Science News Explores, November 11, 2022
These fabrics change color as they stretch
Science News Explores, November 4, 2022
How wriggling, blood-eating parasitic worms alter the body
Science News Explores, November 3, 2022
Bad Water: The story of the Flint River and a public health crisis
污染水, Front Vision, November 2022
A Guide to the Believing Brain
Muse, Vol. 26, No. 8, October 2022
The Future of Antarctica
南极在变化封面, Front Vision, October 2022
Welcome to the metaverse
Science News Explores, September 8, 2022
This leaping robot can out-jump anything — animal or machine
Science News Explores, August 22, 2022
The Story of CRISPR
Front Vision, August 2022
Virtual critters evolve bodies that help them learn
Science News for Students, July 8, 2022
How to Make Electricity Without Fossil Fuels
Front Vision, July 2022
Will Superintelligence Destroy Humanity?
Front Vision, June 2022
A Drug’s Journey: The Secrets of Pharmacology
Front Vision, May 2022
Engineers borrow a tree’s cellulose to toughen new materials
Science News for Students, April 4, 2022
Do The Math: Don’t Fear the Bermuda Triangle
Muse, Vol. 26, No. 4, April 2022
Is the sky really blue? It depends on what language you speak
Science News for Students, March 17, 2022
These flying robots protect endangered wildlife
Science News for Students, March 10, 2022
How to Appreciate Architecture
面对建筑、体验建筑, Front Vision, March 2022
A Science Journalist’s Journey to Understand AI
The Gradient, January 15, 2022
2021
Secret forest fungi partner with plants — and help the climate
Science News for Students, December 9, 2021
How 3D Printing will Transform Manufacturing
打印将如何改变制造业, Front Vision, December 2021
The Robots Among Us
我们身边的机器人, Front Vision, December 2021
No Words for Blue
Muse, Vol. 25, No. 9, November/December 2021
A growing share of teens feels lonely at school
Science News for Students, November 5, 2021
Predicting Storms: The science and history of cyclones and anticyclones
Front Vision, November 2021
No Fear: Can a rare brain disease erase fear?
Muse, Vol. 25, No. 8, October 2021
Manufacturing on Mars
火星制造业, Front Vision, October 2021
Will the woolly mammoth return?
Science News for Students, September 23, 2021
Cloning boosts endangered black-footed ferrets
Science News for Students, September 23, 2021
Discovering the power of placebos
Science News for Students, September 9, 2021
My Science Writing Career
名科普作家的写作经验, Front Vision, August 2021
Hands-On: How to Tell Someone’s Fortune
Muse, Vol. 25, No. 6, July/August 2021
Science@Work: Ashton Robinson Cook
Muse, Vol. 25, No. 6, July/August 2021
The Search Engines of the Future
Front Vision, July 2021
As Fast as an Ostrich
像鸵鸟一样快, Front Vision, June 2021
New robots can clean virus-laden surfaces so people won’t have to
Science News for Students, May 20, 2021
New device gets power from 5G signals grabbed from the air
Science News for Students, May 17, 2021
The Power Grid
电网, Front Vision, May 2021
Light levitation might help explore Earth’s ‘ignorosphere’
Science News for Students, April 21, 2021
The Bee Highway: Making a place for bees in the city
Muse Magazine, Volume 25, No. 4, April 2021
How Plants Shape Human Beings
植物如何影响 人类发展, Front Vision, April 2021
Greening your digital life
Science News for Students, March 25, 2021
5G promises new energy savings for digital tech
Science News for Students, March 25, 2021
Training AI to be really smart poses risks to climate
Science News for Students, March 19, 2021
The Future of Food
未来的食物, Front Vision, March 2021
No Place Like Home: Where and when are all the habitable planets?
Muse Magazine, Volume 25, No. 3, March 2021
What the mummy’s curse reveals about your brain
Science News for Students, January 14, 2021
Bye-bye batteries? Power a phone with fabric or a beacon with sound
Science News for Students, January 6, 2021
Amazing Powers of the Mind
Muse Magazine, Volume 25, No. 1, January 2021
Activity: Do You Have ESP?
Muse Magazine, Volume 25, No. 1, January 2021
The Elevators that Will Carry Us into the Future
大楼内的新型运载工具, Front Vision, January 2021
2020
The Greening of the City, Front Vision, December 2020
Underneath the City, Front Vision, December 2020
New device tells smiles from frowns — even through a mask, Science News for Students, December 4, 2020
Ordinary paper turns into flexible human-powered keypad, Science News for Students, November 6, 2020
You should guess answers to your homework before searching online, Science News for Students, October 14, 2020
Science@Work: Nicole Patton Terry, Muse Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 8, October 2020
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning, Science News for Students, September 11, 2020
Are coyotes moving into your neighborhood? Science News for Students, September 3, 2020
The Very Real Threat of Virtual Attacks, Front Vision, September 2020
The Future of the Internet, Front Vision, September 2020
A robot referee can really keep its ‘eye’ on the ball, Science News for Students, August 20, 2020
How to Make a Diamond, Front Vision, August 2020
The Story of Jade, Front Vision, August 2020
Advanced Ceramics: Humanity’s earliest invention gets a makeover, Front Vision, July 2020
Inventing New Body Parts, Front Vision, July 2020
Silk-based microneedles may help treat diseased plants, Science News for Students, June 18, 2020
Activity: From Here to There and Everywhere, Muse Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 5, May/June 2020
The Super Powers of Poop, Front Vision, May 2020
Unwanted Electronics: What should we do with old, broken electronic devices? Front Vision, April 2020
On Fire: How to safely burn the world’s waste, Front Vision, April 2020
At Home in the Universe: Where and when is life most likely to exist? Front Vision, March 2020
Talking to E.T.: How might humans and intelligent aliens communicate with each other? Front Vision, March 2020
An Alien Encounter, Front Vision, March 2020
The Kraken’s True Form, Muse Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 1, January 2020
2019
Science@Work: Vince Rossi, Muse Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 9, November/December 2019
Strange but true: the mystery of the Monte Cristo Homestead and the supernatural science that explains it, BBC Science Focus, October 31, 2019
The science of ghosts, Science News for Students, October 31, 2019
Shaking Things Up: How human activity triggers earthquakes, Front Vision, September 2019
As infections ravage food crops, scientists fight back, Science News for Students, August 15, 2019
How Big Data Powers AI, Front Vision, July 2019
Bots vs. Blazes: Drones and robots help us fight fires, Muse Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 6, July/August 2019
You can fight back against cyberattacks, Science News for Students, May 9, 2019
Here Be Monsters, Muse Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 5, May/June 2019
Fortnite Frenzy: How a free game makes money — and lots of it, Muse Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 4, April 2019
On the lookout for micro-missiles from space, Science News for Students, March 7, 2019
Out of the Dolphin Cave and into the Ocean: How high school kids invented a cart to help save dolphins, Muse Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 2, February 2019
Doctor Robot, Front Vision, February 2019
War of the Robots, Front Vision, February 2019
Becoming Better Cyborgs, Front Vision, January 2019
2018
How Language and Thought Intertwine, Front Vision, October 2018
Who Needs Wheat Flour, Anyway? A Search for Gluten-Free Goodness, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 7, September 2018
Cold Fusion, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 6, July/August 2018
Science@Work: Tammy Ma, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 6, July/August 2018
The Blade Jumper, Front Vision, July 2018
Superintelligence, Front Vision, May 25, 2018
Chatting with Computers, Front Vision, May 25, 2018
Wireless devices crowd out cosmic radio signals and more, Science News for Students, April 12, 2018
Cool Jobs: Decoding how your brain ‘reads’, Science News for Students, March 22, 2018
Think Your Password, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 3, March 2018
Science@Work: Lila Miller, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 2, February 2018
New treatment could calm temperature-sensitive teeth, Science News for Students, January 3, 2018
Bug Detective, Muse Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 2018
2017
This robot won’t trip people up, Science News for Students, December 1, 2017
The Mind in the Machine, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 9, November/December 2017
Sweat-slurping ‘aliens’ live on your skin, Science News for Students, October 25, 2017
Good germs lurk in gross places, Science News for Students, October 5, 2017
Video games level up life skills, Science News for Students, September 27, 2017
Cash for Blood, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 8, October 2017
Tiny spongelike machines sop up blood sugar, Science News for Students, September 22, 2017
Save the Doodles, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 6, July/August 2017
Camera catches new fish species — as it’s eaten! Science News for Students, June 26, 2017
Cool Jobs: New tools to solve crimes, Science News for Students, June 8, 2017
Underwater robot vacuums up lionfish, Science News for Students, June 5, 2017
Are fidget spinners tools or toys? Science News for Students, June 1, 2017
Cool Jobs: Counting calories, Science News for Students, May 25, 2017
Explainer: All about the calorie, Science News for Students, May 25, 2017
Just viewing super-size meals can promote overeating, Science News for Students, April 21, 2017
Teaching robots right from wrong, Science News for Students, April 20, 2017
Twitch Together, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, April 2017
Early birds eat better, Science News for Students, April 14, 2017
Communing with the Letter Spirits, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3, March 2017
Wired and weird: Meet the cyborg plants, Science News for Students, February 23, 2017
Fasten Your Seat Belt, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 2, February 2017
Science@Work: Stephen Fletcher, Muse Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 1, January 2017
2016
Could toothpaste give heart disease the brush-off?
Science News for Students, November 23, 2016
DIY Dream Journal
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 9, November/December 2016
Zombies are Real!
Science News for Students, October 27, 2016
Cool Jobs: Video game creators
Science News for Students, October 6, 2016
Science@Work: Richard Kirby and Paraic McGlynn
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 8 October, 2016
One day, computers may decode your dreams
Science News for Students, September 22, 2016
Explainer: How to read brain activity
Science News for Students, September 22, 2016
Hands-on: Test Your Smarts
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 7, September 2016
Mighty & Magical Magnets
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 5, May/June 2016
The cool science of hot peppers
Science News for Students, May 5, 2016
Newly discovered microbe keeps teeth healthy
Science News for Students, April 18, 2016
Microbes mine treasure from waste
Science News for Students, March 31, 2016
Magic Potions
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, April 2016
Myth or Reality?
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 3, March 2016
From zits to warts: Which disturb people most?
Science News for Students, March 25, 2016
Explainer: What is metabolic syndrome?
Science News for Students, March 4, 2016
Teens eating better but gaining weight
Science News for Students, March 4, 2016
Zoo Complicated: Are Captive Animals Happy?
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, February 2016
The Truth About Zits
Science News for Students, January 22, 2016
The Ring of Fire
Muse Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 1, January 2016
2015
Do dogs have a sense of self?
Science News for Students, December 24, 2015
Some otters wear red algae
Science News for Students, December 17, 2015
Engineers consider liquid salt to generate power
Science News for Students, December 2, 2015
Some 3-D printing can leave toxic taint
Science News for Students, November 23, 2015
Slime Cities
Science News for Students, November 3, 2015
Science @ Work: Max Tegmark
Muse Magazine, Vol. 19 No. 9 November/December 2015
Testing Einstein in Space
Muse Magazine, Vol. 19 No. 9 November/December 2015
Fun and Games
Muse Magazine, Vol. 19 No. 5 May/June 2015
2014
Rare as a Rhino
Science News for Students: October 2, 2014
Wave to Saturn
Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 23 No. 7 September 2014
Meet Dr. Mad Science
Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 23 No. 6 July/August 2014
The Science of Star Trek
Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 23 No. 3 March 2014
2013
X-ray ‘eyes’, Science News for Students: November 22, 2013
A Race Through Time, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 6 July/August 2013
Imagination Challenge: What can you build out of a cardboard box? Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 5 May/June 2013
The Rat Pack Researchers and a Fishy Mystery, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 4 April 2013
Water, Water Everywhere: From outer space to inside your body, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3 March 2013
Singing Over the Noise: How Songbirds Adapt to City Life, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 2 February 2013
Say it with Photos: Fun with Photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Beyond, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 1 January 2013
2012
The Dragon in the Dungeon, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 9 November/December 2012
Tweet, Post, Share! How You are Changing Politics, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 8 October 2012
Baboon for President, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 8 October 2012
Engineering the Perfect Game, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 6 Olympic Gold: Physics or Fate?, July/August 2012
Terrible Twister! Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 3 The Perfect Storm, March 2012
The Rat Pack Researchers and the Annoy-a-thon, Odyssey Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 1 How Annoying! “Stop That” Science, January 2012
2007 through 2011
- The Search for Another Earth, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 9 Does E.T. Exist?, November/December 2011.
- They’re Sneaky… They’re Slimy… They’re Biofilms! Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 8, Slimes, October 2011.
- The Rat Pack Researchers and the Zippy Mystery, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 7, Addicted? September 2011.
- The Alien Discovery that Wasn’t, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 6, Rage or Reason? July/August 2011.
- Keep an Eye on Solar Activity with the Free 3D Sun iPhone App, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 5, The Sun Burns, May/June 2011.
- Staring at the Sun, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 5, The Sun Burns, May/June 2011.
- Parallel Universes: Where (Almost) Anything is Possible! Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 3, Copycats, March 2011.
- Learning from Disasters: Exxon-Valdez vs. Deepwater Horizon, Odyssey, Vol. 20 No. 1, Oil Spill! January 2011.
- The Ice Storm that Stole Christmas, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 9, On Ice, November/December 2010.
- Ava Do: Stealing Hearts & Minds (and Much More!), Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 8, The Magic Half, October 2010.
- Four Incredible Cyborg Creatures, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 7, Am I A Borg, Yet? September 2010.
- Under Pressure: Looking Inside Earth, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 6, That Rocks, July/August 2010.
- Asses to Zebras, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 5, Wild Horses, May 2010.
- Journey to the Moons, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 4, Fly Me to the Moons, April 2010.
- Meet Allyson Ames: One of the Richest Kids in America, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 2, It’s Just Money, February 2010.
- Andy Goldsworthy: Sculpting Earth Art, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 1, Is It Art or Science?, January 2010
- Prize-Winning Art… By Scientists!, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 1, Is It Art or Science?, January 2010
- Ars Electronica: A Tantalizing Technological Tour, Odyssey, Vol. 19 No. 1, Is It Art or Science?, January 2010
- Star Trek, Odyssey, Vol. 18 No. 7, Techno Travel, September 2009
- The Boy Who Couldn’t Play, Odyssey, Vol. 18 No. 6, Let’s Play!, July/August 2009
- Shark Attack, Odyssey, Vol. 18 No. 5, Swimming with the Sharks, May 2009
- Beetle Attack, Odyssey, Vol. 18 No. 4, The Carbon Connection, April 2009
- Happy Birth Day, Odyssey, Vol. 18 No. 1, Babies: Journey to Life, January 2009
- Robo-Speak, Odyssey, Vol. 17 No. 8, Robo-Buddy, October 2008
- Modern Mummies, Odyssey, Vol. 17 No. 7, Stiff: The Engrossing Cadaver, September 2008
- Albina’s Cell Phone, Odyssey, Vol. 17 No. 1, Unwired, January 2008
- Career Watch: Working in Biometrics, Odyssey, Vol. 16 No. 7, Tagged: Identity Theft, October 2007
- Great Depression Slang and Hobo Code, Cobblestone, The Great Depression, March 2008
- A Day at School in Kyrgyzstan, Faces, Vol. 24 No. 3, Teens Around the World, November 2007
- Together in Cyberspace, Faces, Vol. 24 No. 3, Teens Around the World, November 2007