Theresa Machemer

Theresa Machemer is a freelance writer based in Washington DC. Her work has also appeared in National Geographic and SciShow. Website: tkmach.com

The tobacco mosaic virus seen under 160,000× magnification

How a Few Sick Tobacco Plants Led Scientists to Unravel the Truth About Viruses

With the COVID-19 coronavirus causing a global pandemic, a look back at the scientists who figured out viruses and their relationship to disease

Whalers and their families spent winters on Herschel Island, located north of the Yukon in Canada.

Explore 3-D Models of Historic Yukon Structures Threatened by Erosion

"We thought it was a good idea to get a comprehensive record of the site while we could in case the water levels rise," says one official

NASA plans to use the Space Launch System rocket to bring astronauts to the moon.

NASA Projects Slowed by COVID-19, but New Mars Rover Perseveres

If Perseverance doesn’t launch this year, it will have to wait until 2022

Eucalyptus trees sprout "emergency foliage" after a wildfire while their leaves regrow.

How Australia’s Wilderness Is Recovering From Wildfires

Greenery is sprouting from scorched tree trunks as the forests regrow their canopies

Batman's iconic sidekick Robin provides pep and puns to offset the billionaire's brooding personality.

Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Batman's Sidekick, Robin

Many teens have taken on the role, but not every Robin was a "boy" wonder

Restoration work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has paused as France works to control the spread of COVID-19.

Notre-Dame Restoration Pauses Amid France's Two-Week Lockdown

Lead decontamination policies enacted in August are now in conflict with measures to prevent spread of COVID-19

About one-quarter to one-third of the 86 million pet cats in the U.S. are allowed outside.

GPS Study Shows Outdoor Cats Have Oversized Effect on Neighborhood Wildlife

The cats also cross the road an average of 4.5 times in six days, putting themselves in danger

An Etlatongo ballplayer figurine unearthed at the site

Newly Unearthed Mesoamerican Ball Court Offers Insights on Game's Origins

"This could be the oldest and longest-lived team ball game in the world," says one archaeologist

This porcelain pot with enamel decorations is one of 100 teapots on display in the Met's updated British Galleries.

A Story of an Empire, Told Through Tea

The Met has revamped its British Galleries, drawing on luxurious artifacts to highlight the country's history of exploitation

This artist’s rendition shows a giant impact similar to the one 4.5 billion years ago that scientists think created the Earth-Moon system.

The Moon Is Different Than Earth at Its Core

Similarities between lunar samples and Earth's makeup were throwing off a leading theory of the moon's origin

An Asian trampsnail on a coffee leaf infected with coffee leaf rust.

Invasive Snails Might Save Coffee Crops From Fungus, but Experts Advise Caution

The snails are an invasive crop pest that are known to eat more than just coffee rust

Pallid bats use relatively low-pitched sounds for echolocation, making them better at hunting in open spaces like grasslands.

California Bats Thrive in Forests Recovering From Wildfires

Wildfires leave behind a patchwork of forest densities that can give bats more room to fly and hunt

The underground bunker is about 23 feet long and 10 feet wide.

WWII Bunker Used by Churchill's 'Secret Army' Unearthed in Scotland

British Auxiliary Units were trained to sabotage the enemy in case of German invasion

Workers discovered the bones in a lead container hidden in the walls of the Church of St. Mary and St. Eanswythe.

Bones Unearthed in English Church Likely Belong to Seventh-Century Saint

Eanswythe was the granddaughter of Ethelbert, the first English king to convert to Christianity

Reconstruction of the nesting ground of Hypacrosaurus stebingeri from the Two Medicine formation of Montana. In the center can be seen a deceased Hypacrosaurus nestling with the back of its skull embedded in shallow waters. A mourning adult is portrayed on the right.

Paleontologists Debate Whether New Research Found Signs of DNA in Dinosaur Fossil

The fossils are several times older than the theoretical maximum shelf life of DNA molecules

Built at the turn of the seventh century, the white plaster-coated road begins in Cobá and ends 62 miles west, at Yaxuná's ancient downtown in the center of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Did a Seventh-Century Warrior Queen Build the Maya's Longest Road?

Dubbed the "white road" in honor of its limestone paving, the 62-mile path is an engineering marvel on par with Maya pyramids

Jeremy Bentham's auto-icon is now on display in a glass case in University College London's Student Centre.

English Philosopher's Dressed-Up Skeleton Goes on View in New Glass Display

When utilitarian thinker Jeremy Bentham died in 1832, he requested his preserved remains be displayed in "an appropriate box or case"

Erik Farrell stands beside one of the USS Monitor's eight-ton, Civil War-era Dahlgren guns.

Why Did Restorers Search a Civil War Battleship's Guns for the Remains of a Black Cat?

Clearing out the eight-ton, 11-foot-long cannons gave conservators a chance to follow up on the tale of an unlucky feline

This photo of Earth's newest minimoon was taken by the 8-meter Gemini North telescope on Hawaii’s Maunakea. The image combines three images each obtained using different filters to produce this color composite.

Earth's New Mini-Moon Is Leaving Soon

Our planet is just one stop along the car-sized asteroid’s solar system odyssey

Carl Cotton places individual letters on a label for an exhibition featuring hybrid birds.

The Chicago Field Museum Celebrates the Work of African American Taxidermist Carl Cotton

Cotton started working at the museum in the late 1940s, but he first became interested in taxidermy much earlier

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