Elizabeth Gamillo

Elizabeth Gamillo

Elizabeth Gamillo is a correspondent for Smithsonian and a science journalist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has written for Science magazine as their 2018 AAAS Diverse Voices in Science Journalism Intern.

Stories from this author

In captivity under human care, a polar bear's life expectancy is about 23 years, per AP. Polar bears rarely live past 30 years old in the wild, with most adult bears dying before they reach 25.

North America’s Oldest Polar Bear Living in Captivity Dies at 36 Years Old

Snow Lilly, who died at age 36, resided at the Milwaukee County Zoo for almost 16 years after arriving there in 2005

Some experts suspect that the lava's heat at a scorching 1,800 degrees could trigger landslides or explosions and release toxic gases when it reaches the ocean and collides with the ocean water.    

La Palma Island Volcanic Eruption Sends Lava Flowing to Residential Buildings

The eruption engulfed 410 acres of land and destroyed about 350 homes

The 1918 flu, also known as the Spanish flu, spread worldwide during 1918 and 1919. In the U.S. it was first identified in military personnel in the spring of 1918 and mostly affected younger populations less than five years old, between 20 to 40 years old and those 65 years of age or older.  

Covid-19 Surpasses 1918 Flu to Become Deadliest Pandemic in American History

But national population numbers have tripled since then. Influenza killed one in 150 Americans, while one in 500 people have died from the coronavirus

Neanderthals, our closest human ancestor, went extinct 35,000 to 40,000 years ago.  

To Understand Neanderthal Night-Hunting Methods, Scientists Caught Thousands of Birds With Their Bare Hands in Spanish Caves

Researchers captured more than 5,000 birds to learn how our now-extinct ancestors foraged for food

The segmented mirrors that weigh 46 pounds each also needed to fold origami-style so that they could fit inside the rocket and later bloom open once it reaches its destination.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Will Launch Into Orbit in December

Once in space, the observatory will travel to a location one million miles from Earth

Scientists first spotted the tracks, including this one from a calf, after storms in 2020 swept away several feet of sand in Spain.

Fossilized Footprints Reveal an Ancient Elephant Nursery in Spain

Straight-tusked elephants as young as two months old trampled around the area with their mothers

Between April 4 to June 19, unvaccinated individuals accounted for 95 percent of cases, 93 percent of hospitalizations, and 92 percent of deaths.

Unvaccinated Individuals Are 11 Times More Likely to Die From Covid-19

Multiple CDC studies suggest that vaccines against Covid-19 remain highly effective against severe complications from the virus

In one piece of fossilized amber, a female spider was astonishingly preserved, clutching an egg sac filled with spiderling embryos nearly ready to hatch.  

Female Spiders’ Maternal Instincts Captured in 99-Million-Year-Old Amber

Four amber pieces are the earliest evidence of maternal care in spiders

A dozen rat carcasses with upturned bellies were found littered along the sand in Brooklyn's Canarsie Park.

Rat Carcasses Wash Ashore in New York City After Hurricane Ida

Flood waters from record rainfall overwhelmed the rodents and forced them out of their homes

The Hispaniolan boa appeared smaller than any other boa the researchers had seen before.

For the First Time in 133 Years, a New Species of Boa Was Discovered in the Dominican Republic

The small snake may be one of the smallest boas in the world

New research suggests that clouds affected by wildfire smoke hold more water droplets but are tiny and less likely drop as rain.

Smoky Clouds That Form Over Wildfires Produce Less Rain

Particles from the smoke create tiny droplets too small to fall to Earth

When comparing the genomes, the team found that the birds of Stewart Island had less genetic diversity than the mainland birds and had half as many mutations as the birds that dwelled on the mainland.

Thousands of Years of Inbreeding May Have Saved This Flightless Parrot From Extinction

The Kākāpō had fewer mutations in its genome despite a small genetic pool and long history of isolation due to a previous near-extinction event

Can a machine be taught to understand the plant world?

Is This Weed-Spotting, Yield-Predicting Rover the Future of Farming?

The robot, developed by Alphabet Inc.’s X, will make its public debut at the Smithsonian

T. gainesi was enormous compared to other ocean creatures living during the Cambrian era, measuring almost 2 feet or half a meter long when most other species measured about the size of a pinky finger.

Ancient Predator With Massive Helmet-Like Shell Unearthed in Canada

The creature was one of the earliest known large predators on Earth

Perseverance drilled into a briefcase-sized Martian boulder named Rochette. The rock is located in the Citadelle location within the Jezero Crater.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Successfully Obtains First Martian Rock Sample

The sample is stored inside an airtight titanium tube that will be sent back to Earth in a future mission in the early 2030s

Scientists suspect that the vultures have expanded into Indiana in the past few decades because of climate change and changes in land use.

Federally Protected Black Vultures May Be ‘Eating Cows Alive’ in the Midwest

Farmers are seeking permits to cull any raptors harming their livestock, but experts say reports of vicious attacks are exaggerated

Tardigrades use their claws like grappling hooks and pull their bodies forward to move.

Scientists Discover Tiny Tardigrades Trot Around Like Insects

The microscopic organism’s gait may have evolved to adapt to unpredictable terrains

The yet-to-be-named island was likely formed when ice bulldozed seabed mud up above the water's surface during a storm.

Scientists Discover What May Be the World’s Northernmost Island

Researchers thought they had set foot on a known island, but island hunters pointed out that reported coordinates revealed a special find

Cane toad tadpoles are observed eating other tadpoles in South America, their native habitat. However, the cannibalistic behavior occurs more often in Australia.

Without Predators, Cannibalistic Cane Toads Eat Their Young—and It’s Rapidly Accelerating the Species’ Evolution

Hatchlings in Australia have halved their vulnerable growth stage to avoid becoming their pal’s next meal

Leaded gasoline has been banned in the U.S. for decades but was still used in other parts of the world. Less than 20 years ago, 117 countries still used leaded gas.

Leaded Gasoline Use in Vehicles Has Now Officially Ended Worldwide

A refinery in Algeria used the world’s last stockpile of the fuel

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