Amber Dance
Verified- Science Writer and Journalist, Freelance
- Contributor, Knowable Magazine
- New Horizons Program Director, Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
Los Angeles
As seen in:
Knowable Magazine,
MSN,
Yahoo Life,
BBC,
BBC Mundo,
Business Insider,
El País,
Nature,
The Washington Post,
USA Today,
WebMD
and
Award-winning freelance science journalist. Scientific program director for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. Book editor.
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Amber Dance
Save the parasites!
In the 1980s, biologists rounded up every last California condor for captive breeding. It was an unprecedented conservation project with stunning success: Today, the birds number more than 600. But for some ecologists, there’s a distressing corollary: The birds were reportedly treated with pesticides that killed condor parasites, including one unique to these birds, the condor louse Colpocephalum californici. The condor louse became a poster child for parasite extinction. Parasites have a bad rap.
Goodbye, eggshell: How pregnancy emerged in the animal world
Pregnancy was a singular innovation for mammals. Live birth emerged just once — likely during the Jurassic period. Critters that kept their offspring safely inside until full term became the predominant mammals. Like the emergence of vision much further back, this was a monumental change that involved many alterations to biology.
Zelltod: Auf vielen Wegen in den Untergang
Hintergrund Lesedauer ca. 9 Minuten Drucken Teilen Zelltod: Auf vielen Wegen in den Untergang Zunehmend werden neue Varianten des Zelltods entdeckt – von der Apoptose über die Ferroptose bis zur Ruptose und Alkaliptose. Das eröffnet ungeahnte Wege im Kampf gegen Krebs, Autoimmunerkrankungen und andere Leiden. Sterbende Krebszelle in einer Kulturschale (eingefärbte Rasterelektronenmikroskopaufnahme) Exklusive Übersetzung aus Die Zellen in Daolin Tangs Petrischalen waren tot. Mausetot.
Cells, who needs them? Biochemists turn to proteins in a tube
Michael Jewett sometimes finds himself at odds with biology. As a bioengineer who uses synthetic biology to study ways to improve human and planetary health, Jewett needs microorganisms to manufacture specific compounds or follow the genetic instructions he’s given them. But the cells, evolved to ensure their own survival and reproduction, have other priorities. The microbes could, for instance, deactivate foreign DNA segments — or transgenes — inserted into their genome by Jewett.
All the ways a cell can die — and why the variety matters
The cells in Daolin Tang’s Petri dishes were dead. Signs of life had dropped off a cliff; they weren’t reproducing. They were goners. And that was good; the cell biologist had been looking for chemicals that would poison cancer cells. These secret battles between your body’s cells might just save your life But Tang and his colleagues faced a post-mortem mystery: the precise cause of death. They investigated several ways in which cells can die, and none of them was guilty.
Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete
Science writer and editor Share this article: Tags: Microplastics, Brain imaging, Microscopy, spectroscopy When toxicologist Matthew Campen and his colleagues published a paper in Nature Medicine in 2025 estimating a surprisingly high content of plastic in the average human brain, the reaction was swift.
¿Quién lleva las riendas? La tensa unión entre la automatización y el comportamiento humano
La automatización está presente en todas partes, desde el piloto automático de los aviones hasta los ciclos de la lavadora de su casa. Y con la llegada de la inteligencia artificial, las computadoras y las máquinas están asumiendo cada vez más tareas. Eso no significa necesariamente que los puestos de trabajo humanos desaparezcan, sino que cambian: se pasa de realizar la tarea en sí a supervisar a la máquina que la lleva a cabo, afirma Ron McLeod, de Glasgow, Escocia.
¿Quién lleva las riendas? La tensa unión entre la automatización y el comportamiento humano
La automatización está presente en todas partes, desde el piloto automático de los aviones hasta los ciclos de la lavadora de su casa. Y con la llegada de la inteligencia artificial, las computadoras y las máquinas están asumiendo cada vez más tareas. Eso no significa necesariamente que los puestos de trabajo humanos desaparezcan, sino que cambian: se pasa de realizar la tarea en sí a supervisar a la máquina que la lleva a cabo, afirma Ron McLeod, de Glasgow, Escocia.
New hope in the fight against cachexia — cancer’s deadly co-conspirator
Mealtimes were always a family affair for the Kochanczyks of Indiana. Dave Kochanczyk loved barbecuing, cooking Polish fare and preparing fresh vegetables from the garden. When not in the kitchen, he led an active life: working as an electrical contractor, serving as a volunteer firefighter and managing the family’s large country property. Cancer cachexia contender enters first pivotal trial That all changed after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010.
Epigenetic editing makes its mark
Epigenetic modifications to DNA (yellow), such as those catalysed by DNA methyltransferase enzymes (blue, centre) control gene expression.Credit: Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library Marianne Rots first started talking about epigenome editing on the conference circuit about two decades ago. If natural epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation and histone acetylation control gene expression, she reasoned, then artificially modifying those marks should allow scientists to adjust that expression.
Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains
Motherhood creates a broad swath of long-term gene-expression changes in the brains of mice, according to a new study. This is accomplished by dopamine attaching to the histones of neuronal DNA and regulating gene expression, particularly in the hippocampus. The findings suggest that “pregnancy fundamentally changes the body and brain,” says study investigator Jennifer O’Chan, instructor in neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
Posted 6/8/26 Knowable Magazine reports on a revolutionary CAR T-cell therapy, originally for cancer, now showing promise for autoimmune diseases like MS, offering hope with risks. This item is available in full to subscribers. E-mail Password Print and web subscribers If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. Non-subscribers Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
Unlock the rest of the article with a subscription. Your support keeps the good stuff coming. Subscribe now for full access to local reporting, breaking news, and more. Originally published on knowablemagazine.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange. Love Funny Wow Sad Angry
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
At age 49, Jan Janisch-Hanzlik’s multiple sclerosis was destroying her freedom to live the life she wanted. She gave up her active nursing job for a desk role. Frequent falls made her afraid to carry her grandchildren. She had to move to a bigger house to make room for the wheelchair she feared she might end up needing full-time. Even the best available medication wasn’t improving Janisch-Hanzlik’s symptoms, and she worried they’d only get worse.
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
Unlock the rest of the article with a subscription. Your support keeps the good stuff coming. Subscribe now for full access to local reporting, breaking news, and more. Originally published on knowablemagazine.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
Unlock the rest of the article with a subscription. Your support keeps the good stuff coming. Subscribe now for full access to local reporting, breaking news, and more. Originally published on knowablemagazine.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange. Love Funny Wow Sad Angry
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
Unlock the rest of the article with a subscription. Your support keeps the good stuff coming. Subscribe now for full access to local reporting, breaking news, and more. Originally published on knowablemagazine.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease
kAmpE 286 ch[ y2? y2?:D49\w2?K=:<’D >F=E:A=6 D4=6C@D:D H2D 56DEC@J:?8 96C 7C665@> E@ =:G6 E96 =:76 D96 H2?E65] $96 82G6 FA 96C 24E:G6 ?FCD:?8 ;@3 7@C 2 56D< C@=6] uC6BF6?E 72==D >256 96C 27C2:5 E@ 42CCJ 96C 8C2?549:=5C6?] $96 925 E@ >@G6 E@ 2 3:886C 9@FD6 E@ >2<6 C@@> 7@C E96 H966=492:C D96 762C65 D96 >:89E 6?5 FA ?665:?8 7F==\E:>6]k^Am kAmtG6? E96 36DE 2G2:=23=6 >65:42E:@? H2D?’E :>AC@G:?8 y2?:D49\w2?K=:<’D DJ>AE@>D[ 2?5 D96 H@CC:65 E96J’5 @?=J 86E H@CD6] $@ H96?
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Amber
Contact Amber, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack