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Sarah Kuta

Daily Correspondent

Sarah Kuta

Sarah Kuta is a freelance journalist based in Longmont, Colorado. She’s been writing and reporting for nearly two decades, covering everything from archaeology and anthropology to evolutionary biology and astronomy. She especially loves writing about wildlife, history, conservation and travel.

Highlights

  • Contributor to National Geographic, Popular Science, Condé Nast Traveler, NBC News, Success magazine, Lonely Planet, the Denver Post, Robb Report, Apartment Therapy and numerous other publications
  • Member of the National Association of Science Writers and the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains
  • Recognized by the Colorado Press Association and the Colorado Associated Press Editors & Reporters

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University

Scientists first spotted the creatures in 2008.

Meet the Orange-Lipped ‘Likweli’ Monkey, a New Species That Was Discovered in the Congo Rainforest

The creatures, which weigh about the same as a small dog, have spiky black hair, orange-cream skin around their mouths and a white patch on their rear ends. Scientists say that they’re probably endangered

The pen and the broken circuit breaker switch sold at auction.

Buzz Aldrin Used This Humble Felt-Tip Pen to Save the Apollo II Astronauts. It Just Sold for More Than $850,000

In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module “Eagle” after the switch broke off during the moon landing

Investigators say a man stole Chinese manuscripts worth more than $200,000 from UCLA.

Man Sentenced for Stealing ‘Rare and Unique’ Chinese Texts, Valued at More Than $200,000, by Using Aliases, Fake IDs and Dummy Manuscripts

The works were stolen from the University of California, Los Angeles, over the course of several years

Researchers showed each giraffe the contents of several containers, which held varying numbers of carrots, then added extra pieces to one of them. Afterward, the animal would choose a container to get the treats inside.

Giraffes Might Be Even Smarter Than We Thought. Some Can Solve Simple Math Problems, a New Study Suggests

Two of four tested giraffes seemed to be able to mentally combine numbers to get one of their favorite treats: carrots. But all the animals failed at tasks involving subtraction or multiple calculations

At the end of the calculation, researchers found two symbols they deciphered to mean “so says Sak Tahn Waax.”

Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex’ Formula

For the first time, archaeologists identified one of the culture’s famed Classic era mathematicians and astronomers

Andean leaf-eared mice can survive in extremely high-altitude environments with frigid temperatures and little oxygen.

Here’s How These Adorable Mice Can Live at an Extremely High Elevation Where No Other Mammal Is Known to Reside

The Andean leaf-eared mouse has adaptations that help it generate body heat efficiently in frigid, low-oxygen conditions at 22,000 feet above sea level, according to a new study

Archaeologist Andrew Birley found the relief carving while excavating a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall in northern England.

Ancient Romans Put Their Faith in Guardian Spirits. Archaeologists Just Found a Rare 1,600-Year-Old Carving of One in Northern England

Known as a “genius,” the protective spirit or deity was believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to a particular person, household or place. Archaeologists haven’t found many depictions of them across Roman Britain

Gray whales, like this one that washed up dead in Los Angeles in April 2025, are grappling with malnutrition and ship strikes.

Nearly 150 Gray Whales Have Been Found Dead Along North America’s Pacific Shore This Year, Prompting Scientists to Sound the Alarm

The population of eastern gray whales, which migrate annually along the West Coast between the Arctic and Mexico, has been declining in recent years. Conservationists say 2026 could be one of the deadliest years on record for the marine mammals

The bones were discovered in a cave on the Swedish island of Stora Karlso.

How Did Two Wolves End Up on This Remote Island Thousands of Years Ago? Researchers Think Humans Brought Them There, Then Cared for Them

The discovery suggests humans may have maintained relationships with wolves long after domesticated dogs came on the scene

Researchers found evidence that the wound healed.

Roughly 100,000 Years Ago, This Man Got Stabbed in the Face—and Survived. He’s Likely One of the First Known Victims of an Attack With a Sharp Weapon

Researchers who investigated the remains of a young adult male found in the Qafzeh cave say the injury healed over time, which means the victim’s community may have tended to him

Dead and dying sea creatures have been washing ashore on beaches in South Australia over the past 15 months because of a toxic algal bloom.

The Culprit Behind South Australia’s Deadly Algal Bloom Might Be the Most Toxic Species Ever Tested, Scientists Say

Karenia cristata, a rare type of microscopic algae that produces toxins that harm nerve cells, can be lethal at very low concentrations

A moose called "Frank the Tank" in the Colorado mountains.

Are Moose Colorado Natives or Introduced Outsiders? New Research Suggests That the Animals Have Lived in the State for Centuries

Officials say moose weren’t established in the state until they were brought there in the late 1970s. But historical documentation and archaeological evidence indicate that they resided there long before that

Artist E. Le Bihan created this depiction of the First Fleet entering Sydney Harbor.

Smallpox Scabs That British Doctors Used to Inoculate Patients May Have Introduced the Deadly Disease to Australia, New Research Suggests

Two new studies find that British colonists arriving via ship in the late 18th century likely introduced smallpox, which devastated Aboriginal communities far more than previously known

Researchers discovered that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens appeared to collect the same type of snail shell, possibly for ornamental or symbolic purposes.

Our Ancestors Loved Shell Trinkets, Just Like Neanderthals. New Research Suggests It’s a Sign of Shared Culture Across Species

Based on artifacts found in a limestone cave on the Mediterranean coast, scientists think the two species might have shared similar survival strategies, stone tool technologies and symbolic traditions

Scientists think sperm whales entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Strait of Gibraltar roughly 20,000 years ago, then began to spread east.

Sperm Whales Living in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Seem to Have Developed a Distinct Dialect From Those in the West

All Mediterranean sperm whales were thought to be part of one cultural group, identifiable by a unique pattern of clicks, or a coda. But sound recordings suggest that eastern creatures use a sped-up version of the western whales’ coda

Dinosaurs and other animals might have eaten the fruits of angiosperms during the Late Cretaceous.

Early Flowering Plants May Have Relied on Dinosaurs to Eat Their Fleshy Fruits and Spread Their Seeds

According to fossils preserved by volcanic ash, the plants, known as angiosperms, began producing relatively large, blueberry-size fruits millions of years earlier than previously thought

Homo floresiensis (center) had a skull about the size of a grapefruit and stood a little more than three feet tall.

How a Hungry Komodo Dragon Led Scientists to Determine Our Small, Hobbit-Like Cousins Probably Weren’t That Smart After All

New research indicates “Homo floresiensis” probably wasn’t hunting big game or using fire on Flores Island, suggesting the small-brained species wasn’t quite as “behaviorally advanced” as once hypothesized

Some of the Neanderthal remains that were analyzed in the new study

Why Did Neanderthals Go Extinct? Inbreeding Probably Wasn’t to Blame for Their Demise in Northwestern Europe, a Study Suggests

In contrast to those who resided in Siberia, Neanderthals who lived in what’s now Belgium and France shortly before the species vanished seem to have been genetically diverse and healthy

Scientists collected samples from 11 caves in Spain and Portugal.

In a Scientific First, Researchers Recovered Ancient DNA That Humans Left Behind on Rock Art and Cave Walls

DNA preservation on cave walls is highly variable, but scientists say their work is an important step on the path toward gaining a deeper understanding of our creative ancestors

Rockwell was commissioned to create So You Want to See the President! by Stephen Early, Roosevelt’s press secretary.

Norman Rockwell Captured the Hustle of the West Wing in Colorful Drawings Displayed for Decades in the White House. They’re Now on Public View for the First Time

The works were commissioned to humanize President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of World War II

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