I’m a freelance science journalist and editor. My writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Science, the Boston Globe, the Atlantic, and Orion. My book about the evolution of parenting, THE CREATURES’ GUIDE TO CARING, will be published by Viking in May 2026. I won the 2017 Kavli Gold Award in Children’s Science News. In less serious moods, I’m also a humor writer for outlets such as McSweeney’s, Parents, and Real Simple.

Between 2008 and 2014 I was the editor of Muse, a magazine about science and ideas for kids. I also wrote almost 400 news stories there in the voice of a highly knowledgeable cow. Other past projects include Child Proof, a parenting science column published by Medium, and Inkfish, a science blog hosted by Discover. “Inkfish” is another name for cephalopods such as octopuses and squid.

Besides cephalopods, I write most often about evolution, animal behavior, health, parenting, and intersections between science and society. I studied biology and English at Williams College. In order from least to most tedious, I’ve used the following lab skills: sucking up fruit flies from tree fungi; sequencing human DNA; liquefying leaves; and sorting grass roots with tweezers. I live in the Boston area with my husband and two daughters.

For updates on my writing, as well as an animal-based advice column of dubious utility, subscribe to my biweekly newsletter here.

Headshots by Kristin Chalmers.