Katherine J. Wu

Katherine J. Wu

 

Katherine J. Wu is a Boston-based science journalist and Story Collider senior producer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Undark magazine, Popular Science and more. She holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunobiology from Harvard University, and was Smithsonian magazine's 2018 AAAS Mass Media Fellow.

New Research Suggests Dr. Seuss Modeled the Lorax on This Real-Life Monkey

Facial recognition software refreshes the classic book's message on conservation

Aggressive or sexual behavior in crows interacting with dead bodies might happen more often when sex hormones run rampant.

It's Not Without Caws That Crows Desecrate Their Dead

What dead crows can teach us about the connections between sex and aggression

Combing Through the Fishy Origins of Human Hair

New research from UVA suggests the first vertebrates to colonize dry land carried scaly souvenirs with them

If you've waited this long for it, it must be good, right?

Both Mice and Men Struggle to Abandon Their Best-Laid Plans

Rodents suffer from the same sunk cost fallacy that makes it so hard for humans to call it quits

The display will eventually yield a formidable and fully-formed beast standing at about 15 feet tall and 40 feet long, poised to glut on the body of an unlucky Triceratops.

Homecoming King: The Nation’s T. rex Returns to the Smithsonian

The fully assembled skeleton will be displayed for the first time at the National Museum of Natural History in June 2019.

A fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) feeding off a banana.

How Fruit Flies Stay Young at Heart

Researchers link structural alterations to fruit fly hearts to longevity-promoting changes in metabolism

Male bat-eared foxes spend much of their time with their offspring, grooming, engaging them in play and teaching them to forage.

This Is Your Brain on Fatherhood

What clownfish stepfathers and Dad-of-the-Year foxes teach us about paternal neurochemistry in the animal kingdom

Scientists with Smithsonian’s Global Health Program examine a wrinkle-lipped bat, which can harbor a never-before-seen virus.

A Never-Before-Seen Virus Has Been Detected in Myanmar’s Bats

The discovery of two new viruses related to those that cause SARS and MERS marks PREDICT's first milestone in the region

Born June 30, the new scimitar-horned oryx is already beginning to explore her surroundings.

New Artificial Insemination Technique Successfully Breeds Critically Endangered Scimitar-Horned Oryx

This marks the first birth of an oryx through artificial insemination that did not rely on potentially fertility-compromising anesthesia

Snazzy as they are, stripes will not save you from the perils of dehydration.

Settling a Heated Debate—Do Zebra Stripes Keep These Animals Cool?

Researchers from Hungary and Sweden investigated whether black and white stripes are actually better at keeping the heat at bay

A kissing bug with an attached radio transmitter at a private home in Texas.

How Tiny Trackers Could Help Humans Avoid Kissing Bugs' Deadly Smooch

The insects, which spread Chagas disease, can now be tracked with miniature radios to stop the spread of illness

We may see them as pests, but raccoons see humans as ripe for plundering. According to Suzanne MacDonald, they are "the only animal that would break into captivity because they think it’s a better deal."

How Humans Created the Ultimate Superpests

As urbanization continues to push wildlife to the brink, humans may need to reevaluate their role in habitat destruction

The National Zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang, mother of three, will not give birth this summer.

Giant Panda Mei Xiang Will Not Give Birth

After a week and a half of waiting, the National Zoo confirms that Mei Xiang experienced a pseudopregnancy.

Graafian follicle, human ovary

How Artificial Ovaries Could Expand Fertility Options for Chemo Patients

Scientists have taken the next steps toward creating an alternative fertility preservation method using modified ovarian tissue

Izzy photographed with the two infants on her back on Friday, June 30.

National Zoo Reports Death of Infant Golden Lion Tamarin

The golden lion tamarin and its sibling were born on Friday, marking the first births of tamarins for the Zoo in a decade

Even outside of Hollywood, wasps are fierce contenders in their own right.

Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers Not in <i>Ant-Man and the Wasp</i>

Bees tend to get all the attention, but Marvel turns the spotlight on one of nature’s most devious masterminds

Calvin Coolidge, stoic as ever, with his ebullient wife Grace.

For His Patriotic Birthday, Five Facts About Calvin Coolidge

On Coolidge’s would-be 146th birthday, celebrate with some little-known facts about our 30th President

This scrotal male certainly isn't sheepish.

The Earliest Mammals Kept Their Cool With Descended Testicles

But if free-swinging sperm sacs are the norm, then why did undescended ones evolve four separate times?

Anemonefish, also known as clownfish, are born androgynous and can shift from male to female in one lifetime.

Alternatives to Heterosexual Pairings, Brought to You By Non-Human Animals

No one quite has this sex thing figured out, but these non-binary animals have some good ideas

Mei Xiang, the female panda in residence at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, may be pregnant with a cub to be born later this summer.

A Primer on the Zoo’s Possibly Pregnant Giant Panda

In anticipation of a potential new cub, here’s a refresher on Mei Xiang and Tian Tian’s storied past

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