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Sara Hashemi

Daily Correspondent

Sara Hashemi

Sara Hashemi is a science journalist and fact-checker who covers space, wildlife, climate and technology for Smithsonian magazine’s Smart News section. Her work covers environmental justice, climate and the intersection between science and society.

Highlights

  • Bylines in the Guardian, Sierra, Sentient Media, Live Science, Retraction Watch and more

Education

Master’s degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University
Bachelor’s degree in environment and development from McGill University

Stories from Sara Hashemi

A photo of Solenostomus snuffleupagus snapped in 2003

Meet the Newly Discovered Fuzzy Fish Species Named After Mr. Snuffleupagus From ‘Sesame Street’

The ghost pipefish’s scruffy appearance probably helps it look like floating algae, allowing it to blend in with its environment. Researchers had been on the hunt for this strange creature for years after first spotting one more than two decades ago

Scientists reconstructed the ancient forest canopy using fragments of fossilized leaves.

Forests Didn’t Fare Well During an Ancient Global Warming Event, Offering a ‘Cautionary’ Tale About Today’s Climate Change

An intense global warming event 56 million years ago caused a forest in modern-day Wyoming to lose around 60 percent of its canopy cover, and it took more than 100,000 years to bounce back, a study suggests

An American bullfrog, which is the largest frog species in North America

This Deadly Shellfish Poisoning Has No Antidote. A Protein Found in American Bullfrogs Could Change That

A study in mice found that a protein called saxiphilin acts like a sponge against a deadly toxin produced by algal blooms. The harmful agent, which accumulates in certain seafood, can cause a life-threatening illness called paralytic shellfish poisoning

The Helix Nebula with bow shocks on the upper left

A New Telescope Still Under Construction Accidentally Reveals How a Dying Star Returns Matter to Space

Researchers captured an unprecedented image of the stellar recycling process while calibrating a Chile-based instrument called MOTHRA, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026

A long-clawed shrew seen in northern Japan

These Tiny Shrews Grow Bigger Snouts and Shrink Their Brains to Survive Harsh Winters, Study Suggests

Scientists have long known that some small mammals reduce their brain size during cold months and regrow them in the spring. Long-clawed shrews from Hokkaido, Japan, seem to follow that pattern—while their noses surprisingly do the opposite

Scientists used Evo, an AI tool that can suggest genome designs, to design new viruses. 

Scientists Used A.I. to Design New Viruses. The Technology Could Be a Boon for Medicine, but Experts Worry About Harmful Pathogens

The findings represent the first genomes, or complete genetic instruction books, designed entirely with generative A.I. The resulting viruses attack only bacteria, which could one day help overcome the problem of antibiotic-resistant microbes

The researchers trained pet dogs to sit still during an MRI scan.

Scientists Gave Dogs MRIs and Learned That They’re Surprisingly Good at Distinguishing Between Human Emotions, Even Some Negative Ones

A recent study found that man’s best friend processes positive and negative human emotions differently and can distinguish between fearful faces and those showing sadness or anger

A swarm of Chaoborus edulis flies over Lake Malawi

Why Don’t Insects Live in the Ocean? Scientists Just Ruled Out One Possible Explanation Thanks to Deep-Diving Fly Larvae

Researchers thought that insects might not live there because their respiratory systems would implode from water pressure. But certain fly larvae in East Africa make daily trips toward the bottom of Lake Malawi with the help of strong air sacs that contain a stretchy protein

Researchers made the discovery while studying the California two-spot octopus.

Why Are Some Octopuses So Smart? The Answer Might Lie in a Never-Before-Seen Mutation That Helps Them Accurately Build Proteins

Scientists discovered a strange feature in certain octopuses’ ribosomal RNA, molecules that create a 3D scaffold for cellular protein factories. It was found only in shallow-water creatures that have expanded nervous systems and can do complex behaviors

Participating in a sleep study, or a polysomnography, can help doctors diagnose a patient with narcolepsy.

This Newly Approved Narcolepsy Drug Is the First to Target the Sleep Disorder’s Root Cause Rather Than Its Symptoms

The Food and Drug Administration just greenlit a medication called Orzeyful for the treatment of narcolepsy type 1 in adults. The condition is caused by the loss of brain cells that produce orexin, a chemical important for regulating the sleep-wake cycle

A map of the galaxy J0148-4214 with dots showing the locations of the three supermassive black holes.

In a First, Astronomers May Have Spotted a Galaxy in the Early Universe With Three Behemoth Black Holes

The galaxy’s light took about 12.5 billion years to reach the James Webb Space Telescope, meaning the instrument saw the black holes a little more than one billion years after the Big Bang. Two of the black holes seemed on track to merge, illustrating how the objects grow

 SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, under the microscope

Covid-19 Can Reawaken Dormant Viruses in the Body, Which Might Worsen Symptoms of the Respiratory Illness, Study Suggests

Most people carry a sleeping virus in their bodies, such as the herpesvirus that causes mononucleosis, or the “kissing disease.” A new study hints that Covid-19 triggers their reactivation, which could worsen symptoms and increase the risk of long Covid

Screenshot of Jackie from a livestream in April

Jackie the Bald Eagle, Who Captured Hearts Around the World Via Livestream, Has Died After Battling a Mysterious Illness

A raptor center in California had been caring for the animal since mid-July, after she had an altercation with two young eagles. But she had probably been sick long before then

Older adults are especially at risk of flu-related complications.

For the First Time, an mRNA Flu Shot Will Be Available to Some People in the United States. Here’s What You Should Know

The Food and Drug Administration just approved the new type of flu vaccine for adults ages 50 and older. It relies on the same technology as many Covid-19 jabs. However, it’s unclear whether insurance companies will pay for the novel flu shot

Meteors from the Perseids streaking above Inyo National Forest in Bishop, California, in 2024.

The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week Amid Ideal Viewing Conditions. Here’s How to Watch the Event’s Bright Shooting Stars

The much-anticipated annual event peaks on the night of August 12 into the next morning. This year, the moon won’t crash the party, as our natural satellite will be in its dark new moon phase

The glassy sphere of hiroshimaite created in the atomic blast that contained a previously unknown metal alloy. 

The Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Birthed a Strange, Never-Before-Seen Material, According to a New Study

The devastating blast vaporized buildings, metal, glass, soil and water. When the substances cooled and condensed, the process created spherical glassy grains—and some of them seem to contain a previously unknown metal alloy

The small blue, shown here, has lost about 40 percent of its habitat in the United Kingdom over the last 150 years.

Butterflies Around the World Are Moving to New Habitats, Largely Because of Climate Change, a Study Suggests

Researchers examined data on 1,758 butterfly species—about ten percent of all those known—from 105 countries and estimated that about one in ten global species has shifted its distribution range

The sticky hairs on the alpine flower trap tiny insects. 

Charles Darwin Theorized That These Plants Were Carnivorous 150 Years Ago. A New Study Proves Him Right

As the naturalist predicted in 1875, some Saxifraga plants consume insects—using sticky hairs to trap them

One source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak is Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.

Two People Died After Getting Sick With Cyclosporiasis, Marking the First Known Deaths Linked to the Ongoing Multistate Outbreak

Both patients, who were in Michigan, had underlying health conditions, according to state officials. The parasite-caused infection usually isn’t life-threatening

Betelgeuse, the inset image in the middle, is located in the constellation Orion, on the right. New images hint at a small companion star, shown in the inset image on the left, orbiting the supergiant star.

New Images Provide the Best Evidence Yet That Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Does, Indeed, Have a Long-Theorized Stellar Companion

The research team is mostly convinced by the data, but they want to capture additional observations in 2027 to confirm what they’ve found

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