Katherine J. Wu

Katherine J. Wu

 

Katherine J. Wu is a Boston-based science journalist and Story Collider senior producer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Undark magazine, Popular Science and more. She holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunobiology from Harvard University, and was Smithsonian magazine's 2018 AAAS Mass Media Fellow.

Dolphin Boy Bands Sing 'Pop' Songs in Sync—and the Ladies Want It That Way

Female dolphins, it seems, aren’t immune to the allure of a harmonizing boy band

Tomie dePaola signing books at the fourth annual "Scribbles to Novels" gala to benefit Jumpstart in 2008

Children's Book Author and Illustrator Tomie dePaola Dies at 85

Over his five-decade-plus career, the "Strega Nona" author contributed to more than 270 books

Maratus azureus, a newly discovered species of peacock spider from Western Australia

See Seven New Dazzling, Dancing Peacock Spiders

Hailing from all over Australia, the spiders were identified by a scientist who used to fear them

Durable, flexible polyurethane is commonly found in sports shoes and other products, and is tough to get rid of.

Scientists Discover Plastic-Munching Microbe in Waste Site

The bacterial strain can break down some of the toxic components of polyurethane plastic

Can you become immune to SARS-CoV-2?

What Scientists Know About Immunity to the Novel Coronavirus

Though COVID-19 likely makes recovered patients immune, experts aren't sure how long protection lasts

In March, thieves stole Vincent van Gogh's The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884 from a Dutch museum shuttered by Covid-19.

Van Gogh Masterpiece Stolen From Dutch Museum Shuttered by COVID-19

Thieves pilfered "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884" from the Singer Laren in the early hours of Monday morning

The USS Stickleback (left) was accidentally broadsided by the USS Silverstein (right) on May 29, 1958.

Wreck of Cold War-Era Submarine Found Off the Coast of Oahu

After 62 years underwater, the USS "Stickleback"—the casualty of an accidental friendly collision—has finally been found

People cross Park Avenue after it was announced that some streets will be closed off as lockdown continues in response to the coronavirus outbreak on March 27, 2020 in New York City.

How—and When—Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?

Americans have some time before social distancing measures can let up—and every day counts

Britain's weather can be fickle, but digitizing past data could help researchers forecast the future.

Bored at Home? Help Great Britain 'Rescue' Its Old Rainfall Records

Precious data points logged on paper are in dire need of a hero. Could it be you?

Hundreds of neatly piled beer bottles unearthed at the site of a long-gone inn in Leeds

Archaeologists in Leeds Unearth 600 Lead-Spiked, 19th-Century Beer Bottles

The liquid inside is 3 percent alcohol by volume—and contains 0.13 milligrams of lead per liter

A mountain gorilla in Uganda

COVID-19 Could Threaten Great Ape Populations, Researchers Warn

No SARS-CoV-2 infections have yet been detected in our closest living relatives. But there is precedent for viruses jumping from people to other great apes

Researchers excavate an altar in the capital of the Maya kingdom of Sak Tz'i'.

Community-Researcher Collaboration Reveals Ancient Maya Capital in Backyard

A recent excavation located the first physical evidence of the capital of the Maya kingdom of Sak Tz'i', founded in 750 B.C.

Stuck at Home? Take Yale’s Most Popular Course Ever: The Science of Happiness

In its first year, the class attracted more than 1,200 students. The online version is abbreviated, but free

A false color view of Mercury that enhances the chemical, mineralogical and physical differences between the rocks on the planet's surface

Mercury’s Messy Surface May Have Once Had Crucial Ingredients for Life

A new theory suggests the hot, harsh planet’s interior could have contained volatiles like water

The Games will now take place in the summer of 2021.

Amid a Pandemic, Olympic Committee Postpones Summer Games Until 2021

Delaying the Games for a year is considered by many to be the best course of action for public health

Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate's Indian runner ducks, which patrol the vineyard for pests

An Army of Hungry Ducks Keeps This Historic South African Vineyard Pest-Free

The vineyard deploys a daily bird-based battalion to pluck snails and insects off their plants

A chemical analysis of the stone slab has led a modern team of researchers to argue for a far less biblical origin story.

New Analysis Refutes Nazareth Inscription's Ties to Jesus' Death

The marble slab appears to be Greek in origin and may have been written in response to the death of a tyrant on the island of Kos

A gentoo penguin swimming underwater. This species, as well as others, vocalizes while hunting beneath the water's surface, research shows.

In a First, Researchers Record Penguins Vocalizing Under Water

But the scientists still aren’t sure what the birds are saying

Warmer weather can bring blooms. But don't expect it to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic on its own.

Why Warmer Weather Probably Won’t Stop COVID-19

Yes, most infectious diseases are seasonal. But waiting for COVID-19 to wane on its own is a bad idea

Asteriornis maastrichtensis, the world's oldest known modern bird, had a mashup of chicken-, turkey- and duck-like features.

At 67 Million Years Old, Oldest Modern Bird Ever Found Is Natural 'Turducken'

Remarkable fossil hints at the traits birds evolved just before an asteroid wiped their nonavian dinosaur kin

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