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Carlyn Kranking

Associate Web Editor, Science

Carlyn Kranking is Smithsonian magazine’s associate web editor for science. She edits online science features on everything from paleontology to archaeology and human health, and she primarily writes about astronomy and animals—especially birds.  

Highlights

  • Published in Smithsonian magazine, Audubon magazine, Payload, CalMatters, Discover magazine, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and more 
  • Radio and podcast appearances on “There’s More to That” and “Here and Now”
  • Member of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association 

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University 

Master’s degree in health, environment and science journalism from Northwestern University 

At a press conference on June 9, NASA announced the crew of its upcoming Artemis 3 mission to low-Earth orbit. Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano and mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas will make up the four-person crew.

NASA Announces the Crew of Artemis 3, Four Astronauts Who Will ‘Take Calculated Risks’ in Low-Earth Orbit and Pave the Way for a Future Moon Landing

The mission, expected to launch next year, will practice meeting and docking with lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin

A young male bongo photographed in Maasai Mau, Kenya

Trail Camera Photos Capture Rare Antelopes in a Kenya Forest Where Conservationists Once Feared They Had Vanished

Fewer than 100 mountain bongos are thought to live in the wild, and the new discovery reveals a crucial habitat for the critically endangered creatures

A sihek, or Guam kingfisher, chick born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Four Rare Guam Kingfisher Chicks Hatch at Virginia Facility, Making an ‘Incredibly Valuable’ Addition to the Small Population of Extinct-in-the-Wild Birds

The species, also known as the sihek, was wiped out from its native Guam and kept alive in captivity. Conservationists released some birds on Palmyra Atoll in 2024, and they have been thriving so far

A female blue crab with an acoustic telemetry tag on its shell. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center use telemetry tags to track the migration of blue crabs throughout the Chesapeake.

Young Blue Crabs Have Been Mysteriously Dwindling in the Chesapeake Bay for Years. This Winter, They Saw a Boost in Numbers. What’s Driving These Trends?

A recent report detailed a 50 percent drop in juvenile Chesapeake blue crabs since 2010. Then, a survey found a surprising surge in the young crustaceans this year

As the Psyche spacecraft approached Mars from its night side, the red planet looked like a crescent.

See NASA’s Stunning New Images of Mars Captured During an Asteroid-Bound Spacecraft’s Strategic Flyby

The Psyche mission, on its way to study an asteroid of the same name, approached within 2,864 miles of the red planet on May 15

Gentoo penguins have been considered a rare beneficiary of climate change due to their population growth on the Antarctic Peninsula. Splitting the birds into four species brings to light regional threats and declines.

Gentoo Penguins Are Actually Four Different Species, Scientists Say, Revealing They’re Not Quite ‘Winners’ of Climate Change After All

A new study indicates that the adaptable birds evolved into distinct lineages as isolated populations shifted to match their environmental conditions over time. The work has implications for how conservationists assess threats to gentoos

This Socorro dove recently hatched at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Conservationists have been undertaking a decades-long effort to breed the extinct-in-the-wild species and one day reintroduce it to its native Socorro Island in Mexico.

New, Rare Dove Hatchlings Are a ‘Source of Hope’ for the Extinct-in-the-Wild Birds and a Step Forward in the Ambitious Project to Save Them

The Socorro dove has not been recorded in the wild since 1972, but that could change within only a few years, conservationists say, thanks to a long-term reintroduction effort

One-celled algae called diatoms are unique because their cell walls are made of transparent silica, like glass, allowing their internal patterns to be visible. Diatoms are key producers of atmospheric oxygen and uphold the aquatic food chain.

See 17 Intricate Microscope Photographs That Make the Miniature World Immense. They Won the Evident Image of the Year Contest

The sixth annual competition showcases scientific microscopic imaging, illuminating tiny parts of nature, from individual cells to arthropods, diatoms and a zebrafish brain

Two Alpine ibexes butt heads, slamming their horns together in a powerful battle that can be heard from far away. They wandered up the slope together afterward.

See 15 Stunning Images That Won the German Society for Nature Photography’s Annual Contest

From a lunging frog to the majestic movements of penguins, the honored photographs capture the wonder of wildlife and beauty of natural landscapes

An illustration of lymphocytes, or white blood cells in the immune system, which include T cells and other disease-fighting cells

You’ve Been Told to ‘Feed a Cold.’ Turns Out, Eating May Truly Boost Your Immune System Cells, According to a New Study

T cells, which target infection and disease, can become more effective after a meal. The finding might help improve cancer-fighting therapies and optimize our response to vaccines

The first image of newly hatched California giant salamanders in the wild can teach biologists about the nesting habitat of the little-known species.

A Snorkeling Biologist Snapped the First-Ever Photo of Newly Hatched California Giant Salamanders in the Wild. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

The discovery provides another key data point about a little-known species for which every observation matters

African fattail scorpion (Androctonus amoreuxi)

Scorpions Are So Metal—Literally. New Images Reveal Patterns in How Their Weaponry Is Fortified With Iron, Zinc and Manganese

Scientists knew the stingers and pincers of these arachnids generally contained metals, but a new Smithsonian-led study maps out how these components are distributed

After drilling a rock sample from a spot on Mars nicknamed “Mary Anning,” NASA’s Curiosity rover took this selfie on October 25, 2020. Now, that sample has revealed organic molecules that have never been seen on the red planet before.

A Mars Rover Found Building Blocks of Life Never Seen on the Red Planet Before, Boosting the Case for Ancient Habitability

The organic molecules discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover could have been formed by life, but they could have also come from geologic processes or meteorites

On Thursday, Artemis 2 astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen gave their first press conference since splashing down. Here, Hansen holds Rise, the crew’s mascot and zero-gravity indicator, which visually demonstrated when they had entered space.

After Rounding the Moon, Artemis 2 Astronauts Reflect on the Magnitude of the Experience: ‘We as Countries and as Humans Did This’

In their first press conference since returning from space, the four-person crew described feeling small but united with people on Earth and said the mission was an achievement by all of humanity

Elephant calf Linh Mai stomps in a shallow pool in the Elephant Community Center at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on February 25.

See the Most Adorable Photos of Baby Elephant Linh Mai, the National Zoo’s Newest Star

Since her birth in early February, the calf has been growing and beginning to bond with her care team and herd. She will go on view in-person and online starting April 22

Earth, partially illuminated, appears over the moon’s horizon at 6:41 p.m. Eastern time on Monday—just three minutes before the Artemis 2 astronauts reached the far side of the moon, initiating a communications blackout with NASA’s teams on the ground.

See the Awe-Inspiring New Photos of the Moon and Earth Sent Back From the Artemis 2 Mission

The astronauts are on their way home after looping around the moon on a historic flyby. Here are the dazzling images they captured

The American woodcock has been migrating through the New York City area for, probably, millennia. But in recent years, the bird’s fame has skyrocketed.

These Rotund and ‘Charmingly Goofy’ Birds Are Delighting New Yorkers and Dancing on Social Media. What Is the American Woodcock?

The endearing animals make a pit stop in Bryant Park during their migrations to northern breeding grounds, gathering fans and starring in viral videos

A polar bear cub walks along the ice in Svalbard, Norway.

See 24 Astounding Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest—and Vote for Your Favorite

The public will choose the winner of the People’s Choice award in a vote that runs from February 4 to March 18

Look up throughout the year to catch a wide array of astronomical sights.

Don’t Miss These Ten Celestial Events in 2026, From Aligned Planets to a Total Solar Eclipse

The upcoming year will offer a blood-red moon, spectacular meteor showers and the first glimpse of the sun’s corona since April 2024

Golden apple snails have eyes that are similar to humans’—and they can regenerate an amputated eye in just a month. Scientists uncovered a gene related to that process, laying the groundwork for more research that could help humans with eye injuries.

Eight Fascinating Scientific Discoveries From 2025 That Could Lead to New Inventions

By studying the natural world, scientists find blueprints for innovations that can improve human lives—in the genes of a shark, the fur of a polar bear and the flipper of an extinct reptile

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