Will Sullivan

Will Sullivan

Will Sullivan is a science writer based in Washington, D.C. His work has appeared in Inside Science and NOVA Next.

Stories from this author

A track of dinosaur footprints preserved in floodplain deposits in Brazil. The tracks date to around 120 million years ago.

‘Matching’ Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Africa and South America

The fossils show how dinosaurs may have crossed between landmasses around 120 million years ago, when the continents were still connected

Health officials say there is an elevated risk for Eastern equine encephalitis infections in New England this year. Wearing insect repellant, covering skin outdoors and staying indoors between dusk and dawn can help prevent infection.

New Hampshire Resident Dies From Rare but Serious Mosquito-Borne Illness

It’s one of four cases of Eastern equine encephalitis reported in the U.S. so far this year—and the state’s first since 2014

The study highlighted that a mix of policies were more successful than policies implemented alone. In the U.S., combining subsidies and performance standards in the transportation sector successfully reduced carbon emissions.

What Are the Best Policies for Reducing Carbon Emissions? A New Study Has Some Answers

An analysis of policies implemented between 1998 and 2022 found that just 63 were successful

A still from a video captured by Vermont resident Gary Shattuck, featuring the lynx walking alongside a road in Rutland County, Vermont, on August 17.

Rare Endangered Lynx Spotted in Vermont for the First Time Since 2018

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has only confirmed seven sightings of the wildcats since 2016

The Polaris Dawn crew at the Kennedy Space Center, from left to right: Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis.

Groundbreaking Mission Attempting the First Private Astronaut Spacewalk Will Target Tuesday Launch

Polaris Dawn is set to be the farthest humans have traveled from Earth since the Apollo program and will test new technology in a “radiation belt” surrounding our planet

An orb-weaver spider wraps a male firefly in silk while it flashes from its lanterns. Male fireflies typically signal with multiple pulses using two lanterns, while females emit single pulses from one lantern.

These Spiders Use Captured Fireflies as Flashing Lures to Snare More Prey

A new study suggests orb-weaver spiders manipulate trapped male fireflies to emit female-like signals, which in turn draws more males into the web

The new research tested the drug liraglutide, marketed as the diabetes treatment Victoza. Liraglutide and the active substance used in the weight-loss treatment Wegovy are both GLP-1 agonists, used to lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Weight Loss and Diabetes Drug Could Slow Alzheimer’s Progression, Preliminary Study Suggests

In a year-long trial, people who received a daily injection of liraglutide showed an 18 percent lower cognitive decline than people who received a placebo

When an asteroid struck Earth about 66 million years ago, it wiped out some 80 percent of the planet's animals, including all of the non-avian dinosuars.

Asteroid That Ended the Dinosaurs Came From Beyond Jupiter, Study Finds

Metal isotopes delivered to Earth by the asteroid reveal it’s consistent with space rocks formed in the outer solar system

A colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox virus particles. There have been 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2024 so far.

WHO Declares Mpox Global Health Emergency. Here’s What to Know

A new virus strain has been spreading primarily the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as nearby countries that had previously not reported mpox cases

The A23a iceberg, photographed last December. It first split from Antartica in 1986 and stayed in the Weddell Sea until 2020, when it started drifting away.

The World’s Largest Iceberg Is Stuck in a Spinning Ocean Vortex

The mega iceberg A23a is destined to melt after breaking free from Antarctica in 1986, but this pause in its journey is delaying its fate, experts say

The findings build on research from last year, which found that people with higher levels of the sweetener in their blood were at a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Common Artificial Sweetener Linked to Increased Heart Attack Risk in Small Study

Healthy people who consumed 30 grams of the sweetener erythritol had an increased risk of blood clot formation, while people who consumed the same amount of glucose did not

Researchers have been looking into whether psychedelics could be used to treat PTSD. Currently, only therapy and two antidepressant medications are approved to treat the condition.

MDMA Treatment for PTSD Fails to Secure Federal Approval

One day after the FDA declined to approve the psychedelic for medical use, a journal retracted three studies of MDMA-assisted therapy due to unethical conduct by researchers

The center of this photo, taken on August 9, shows where the Double Arch formation used to be, before it collapsed on August 8.

Iconic ‘Double Arch’ Rock Formation Collapses in Utah

Changing water levels and erosion from waves may have contributed to the collapse in the popular Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

DCPA is used on crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions.

‘Dangerous’ Pesticide That Could Harm Fetuses Is Pulled From the Market in Historic Move by EPA

Often used to kill weeds around crops, DCPA poses a health risk to the unborn babies of pregnant farmworkers, according to the agency

Humans couldn't survive outdoors on Mars for a number of reasons, including its extremely low temperatures. Scientists are studying ways to terraform the planet to make it more hospitable.

Humans Could Warm Up Mars for Space Travelers by Spraying Tiny Metal Rods Into Its Atmosphere

Researchers propose a new technique for making the Red Planet more habitable by engineering heat-trapping nanoparticles from Martian dust

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as photographed by Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Researchers looked at lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions for the new study.

Meteorite Strikes Are the Primary Creator of the Moon’s Thin Atmosphere, Study Finds

Researchers examined lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions to determine which weathering processes contribute most to replenishing the moon’s atmosphere

The Step Pyramid stands more than 200 feet tall and is made from stones weighing more than 650 pounds. Some other researchers are not yet convinced by the idea that it was built using a hydraulics system.

Ancient Egyptians May Have Used Hydraulic Lift to Build Pyramid

Researchers propose that a system of water could have lifted heavy stones to the height necessary to construct the Step Pyramid

Previous research has looked at the static electricity of bees, but the study authors write that the charges of butterflies hadn't been measured before.

Static Electricity May Help Butterflies and Moths Pick Up Pollen

A new study measured the insects’ electrostatic charges and used computer simulations to show that the charges were strong enough to lift pollen

A coating of iron on Komodo dragons' teeth could help keep them sharp for tearing into prey, as well as protect them from digestive acids.

Komodo Dragons Have Iron-Coated Teeth, Study Finds

New research provides the first evidence of the adaptation in a carnivorous reptile, and it might hold clues to understanding the teeth of dinosaurs

In the future, blood tests could aid in shortening wait times for people seeking care for cognitive symptoms.

Alzheimer’s Blood Test Outperforms Standard Diagnostics in New Study

The blood test accurately diagnosed Alzheimer’s around 90 percent of the time, compared to 73 percent for specialists and 61 percent for primary care physicians

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