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Sara Hashemi

Daily Correspondent

Sara Hashemi

Sara Hashemi is a science journalist and fact-checker who covers space, wildlife, climate and technology for Smithsonian magazine’s Smart News section. Her work covers environmental justice, climate and the intersection between science and society.

Highlights

  • Bylines in the Guardian, Sierra, Sentient Media, Live Science, Retraction Watch and more

Education

Master’s degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University
Bachelor’s degree in environment and development from McGill University

Composite image of evidence for wind blowing away from Sagittarius A*, with the black hole shown as a white dot in the center, cold gas in orange and X-ray data in blue. 

The Supermassive Black Hole at the Heart of Our Galaxy Seems to Be Blowing Wind—Just as Scientists Long Theorized

Scientists have been searching for evidence of this breeze since the 1970s. They’ve seen intense wind from other black holes, but they’ve struggled to observe the one at the Milky Way’s center

An artistic rendition of the MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars

NASA Officially Ends the MAVEN Mission Months After Losing Contact With the Mars Orbiter

The agency last heard from the spacecraft on December 6. Recovered fragmentary data suggest that MAVEN was spinning unexpectedly, hinting at a change in its trajectory and draining its batteries

Unlike metals such as iron and copper, gold doesn't easily tarnish. 

Glittering Gold Can Stay Shiny for Centuries. Scientists Say They’ve Figured Out Why the Precious Metal Is So Resistant to Tarnishing

When the metal is split, the atoms on its surface rearrange themselves into a very stable pattern that doesn’t easily react with oxygen in the air, a study suggests

An Aedes aegypti mosquito

Google Wants to Release 32 Million Mosquitoes in California and Florida. Here’s Why

The company is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for permission to release millions of sterilized mosquitoes in order to fight their disease-spreading counterparts

Two members of the Médecins Sans Frontières Ebola response team outside a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo

These Experimental Ebola Treatments and Vaccines Might Help Slow the Outbreak Spreading in Congo and Uganda, WHO Says

No approved therapeutics exist for the virus species causing the outbreak, which has been associated with more than 1,000 cases of Ebola. The World Health Organization has identified several therapeutics to test in clinical trials in the coming months

Researchers weren't sure what drove some theropods, like T. rex, to evolve tiny arms relative to their body sizes.

Tyrannosaurus Rex and Other Terrifying Predatory Dinosaurs Had Itty-Bitty Arms. Scientists May Have Finally Figured Out Why

A new study suggests that certain theropods—two-legged, mostly meat-eating dinosaurs—had shrunken forelimbs as an evolutionary trade-off for their strong skulls

A limestone pigeon sculpture from Cyprus, dated between 600 and 480 B.C.E.

Pigeon Bones Found at an Ancient Cyprus Settlement Reveal That Our Relationship With These Birds Began Earlier Than We Thought

Before common pigeons were considered urban pests, people domesticated them and relied on them for meat, fertilizer, messages and more. A new study suggests humans have lived alongside the winged creatures for at least 3,400 years

Scientists carried out their experiments in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Cells of the species are artificially colored blue in this microscope image.

Scientists Used A.I. to Redesign a Microbe’s Machinery to Function Without a Key Ingredient of Life

Although the researchers did not create an entire cell that could function without a crucial building block, the findings represent a big step in synthetic biology and provide a glimpse at how Earth’s earliest organisms may have lived

A view of the landslide and tsunami aftermath a few days after the catastrophic events

A Sudden Landslide Triggered Alaska’s 2025 ‘Mega-Tsunami.’ Now, Scientists Have Identified Warning Signs to Predict Similar Events

Natural disasters like the one at Tracy Arm fjord, about 45 miles south of Juneau, could become more common as climate change alters frigid landscapes, according to researchers

The drug ensitrelvir, under the brand name Xocova, was recently approved in Japan as a post-exposure protection against Covid-19.

This Pill Can Prevent You From Getting Covid-19 After Exposure to the Disease-Causing Virus, According to a Clinical Trial

The drug showed promising results in an international study involving nearly 2,400 participants, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make an approval decision for it in June

Tuerkayana hirtipes, a true crab species examined in the study

When Did Crabs Evolve Their Iconic Sideways Scuttle? Scientists Traced It to a Common Ancestor That Lived 200 Million Years Ago

The findings suggest that their famous lateral movement evolved just once. It may have helped the animals rapidly spread and diversify because moving in two directions meant they could easily escape predators

A visitor washes his hands before entering a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of Ebola prevention measures.

The Ebola Outbreak in Africa Was Declared a Global Health Emergency by the WHO. Here’s What to Know About the Rare but Severe Illness

The international health agency notes that the outbreak does not meet the criteria for a pandemic, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the risk to the American public is low

Artist's reconstruction of newly described koala species. 

A Dimpled Koala Fossil Found in a Cave in Western Australia Revealed Why This Previously Unknown Species Went Extinct

The new study found that they lost their arboreal habitat due to a drying climate, a dire warning for the modern-day marsupials that face a similar threat

The study focused on brain cell activity in a structure called the hippocampus, which is important for memory and learning.

Is the Unconscious Mind Aware of Its Surroundings? New Research Suggests Anesthetized Brains Can Process Overheard Words

Seven participants had electrodes temporarily implanted in a brain structure important for learning. While anesthetized, their nerve cells learned to differentiate between distinct sounds—and could even predict upcoming words in phrases

The Bering Strait is a narrow waterway between Russia and Alaska that connects the Pacific and Arctic oceans.

Could Building a Dam Across the Bering Strait Save the Planet From Some Effects of Climate Change?

A preliminary study suggests that blocking off the waterway between Russia and Alaska could help the survival of a key system of ocean currents. But there could be potential unforeseen consequences, particularly to marine ecosystems

Scientists used acidic and basic solutions to trigger chemical reactions in algae.

These Marine Algae Glow When Waves Disturb Them. Their Bioluminescence Could Power Electricity-Free Lamps of the Future

The single-celled organisms usually shimmer for mere milliseconds, but researchers figured out how to sustain their illumination. The technology could one day be used to light robots’ ways in the deep sea or space

Microplastics are particles smaller than five millimeters in length, or narrower than a pencil-tip eraser. 

Microplastics Are Swirling Around in the Atmosphere, Where They Might Be Contributing to Climate Change

Airborne plastic particles, particularly colorful ones, absorb more sunlight than they reflect, which can heat the surrounding air, according to a new study

Researchers studied social learning in the birds by introducing a novel food item: colorfully dyed almonds.

Wild Cockatoos Learn Which Snacks Are Safe to Eat by Copying Their Friends, New Research Suggests

Munching on the wrong items can lead to illness, but social learning might help the birds avoid making a potentially deadly mistake. The phenomenon could help explain why certain cockatoos have fared so well in urban environments

Chonkers, a Steller sea lion, is much larger than his companions, California sea lions.

Chonkers the Massive Sea Lion Drew Crowds to San Francisco’s Famed Pier 39. Then, a New Chunky Showstopper Stole His Identity

The Steller sea lion was an unusual visitor to the pier, which typically hosts smaller California sea lions. However, he may have moved on days ago, during which time a humongous member of the area’s more common species tricked onlookers

Members of the rescue team on a barge that later transported the whale to the North Sea

Timmy the Whale Was Released Into the North Sea After Being Stranded Off the German Coast for Weeks. Was That the Right Call?

The humpback whale first entered shallow water at the end of March, but its health deteriorated over the past few weeks. Experts have criticized efforts to rescue the animal, which may have done more harm than good

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