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.

A roughly 20,000-year-old engraved, pocket-sized rock that may depict a sun, eye or flower

Portable, Pocket-Sized Rock Art Discovered in Ice Age Indonesian Cave

The findings further refute the outdated notion that humans' capacity for complex artistic expression evolved exclusively in Europe

General view of the audience and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

After Closure, the Met Opera Offers Free Streaming of Past Performances

Each night, the institution will post an encore showing of an opera from its "Met Live in HD" series

These Graphics Help Explain Why Social Distancing Is Critical

The positive outcomes won’t be immediately apparent, but will help reduce the strain on our healthcare system

A part-human, part-insect glyph found in Iran

Possible Half-Human, Half-Praying-Mantis Carving Found on Ancient Rocks

The puzzling glyph, which bears some resemblance to the "squatting man" motif, suggests that insects have long held a place in human lore

Saddle up! Donkeys can do much more than carry sacks of food: They can hoist around sporty, polo-playing humans, too.

After a Lifetime of Donkey Polo, This Chinese Noblewoman Asked to Be Buried With Her Steeds

New research reveals a Tang Dynasty woman's love for sports—and big-eared, braying equids

Banded mongoose use scent marking to communicate information to each other—but pathogens can hide in these secretions, too.

Where Predators Are Scarce, Mongooses May Transmit More Disease

New research hints at how different environments impact animal behavior and the spread of infection

Serafino Jamourlian of the monastery of San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Vittoria Dall'Armellina with a newly rediscovered 5,000-year-old sword

Graduate Student Discovers One of World's Oldest Swords in Mislabeled Monastery Display

At 5,000 years old, the weapon predates the era when humans first started using tin to make bronze

The red supergiant star Betelgeuse, as seen by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)

This Fading Star Wasn't on the Brink of Death After All—It Was Just Dusty

After four months of unexpected dimming, the red supergiant star has perked back up, and astronomers may have a new explanation for the fluke

A view of the deserted courtyard outside the closed Louvre

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Cultural World

Museum closures and event cancellations abound as officials rush to contain the new coronavirus' spread

Vampire bats, a highly social species, will continue interacting with each other even when they're feeling sick.

When Illness Strikes, Vampire Bat Moms Will Still Socialize With Their Kids

Studying how bats behave when they’re feeling ill could help researchers better understand how pathogens move through close-knit populations

Figurines on display at Poland's Cat Museum

Poland's Only Cat Museum Puts Couple's Private Collection of Trinkets on Display

The pint-sized institution, which opened last year, is filled with 1,000 feline-themed knickknacks that journeyed with their owners from Ukraine

An illustration showing iron rain showering down on the exoplanet WASP-76b, where a permanent temperature gradient pushes gassy iron into cooler regions, where it turns into liquid

On This Scorching-Hot Exoplanet, a Forecast of Molten Iron Rain

Winds on WASP-76b blow gaseous iron into cooler regions, where it condenses and falls to the planet’s surface as liquid

The Box Museum in England will open this May with an exhibit featuring 14 19th-century naval figureheads

Rescued From Rot, 19th-Century Naval Figureheads to Feature in New Exhibit

A collection of 14 restored wooden statues, including a two-ton William IV, will be shown at the Box Museum in England

An artist's impression of a moon forming around a young planet

A Buffer Zone Around Saturn May Have Kept It From Swallowing Its Biggest Moon

A new simulation points to a previously untold chapter in Titan’s history

A general view shows the step pyramid of Djoser in Egypt's Saqqara necropolis, south of the capital Cairo, on March 5.

Egypt's Oldest Pyramid Reopens to Public After 14-Year Hiatus

Built nearly 4,700 years ago as a tomb for the pharaoh Djoser, the structure underwent more than a decade of on-and-off restorations

Christian Schmutz of the Swiss Cheesemakers Association hoists a 77-pound wheel of gruyère, which won the World Championship Cheese Contest last week.

Holey Cow Product! Swiss Gruyère Claims Cheese Championship

This is the cheesy content readers crave

El Tendedero/The Clothesline Project, an installation by Mónica Mayer in which women were invited to vent their frustrations about their city on a piece of pink paper

#5WomenArtists Campaign Tackles Gender Inequity for the Fifth Year in a Row

Though women make up nearly half of visual artists in the United States, they represent just 13 percent of artists in museum collections

A study of nearly 14,000 pet dogs finds that nearly a third are afraid of specific noises, like fireworks or thunder

Most Dogs Show Anxiety-Related Behaviors, Study Finds

A survey of nearly 14,000 dogs showcases how genetics can prompt stress and anxiety in canines, too

This illustration, created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows the virus' spiky, crown-like fringe that shrouds each viral particle—giving it a “coronated” appearance.

A Guide to What to Know About COVID-19

As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, so does misinformation. Here, you can find facts about the virus and infection it causes

Washing your hands doesn't just lift germs off your skin. It can destroy some of them, too—including the virus behind COVID-19.

Why Is Washing Your Hands So Important, Anyway?

A dive into the science behind why hand-washing and alcohol-based hand sanitizer work so well

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