Andrea Lius

Verified

(She/Her)

Freelance Journalist, The Scientist

California

Environment, Health, Science

As seen in: The Scientist, BMC Genomics, Flipboard, Smithsonian Magazine, Science Magazine, Science News, Cell Press, ASBMB Today

Covers: The life sciences or anything life science adjacent

Science journalist Best of the Net-nominated author muckrack.com/andrea-lius www.linkedin.com/in/liusnotluis/

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Andrea Lius’s Biography

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Freelance science journalist with bylines in Science News, Smithsonian, and The Scientist

Editorial intern @ The Scientist (2025)
PhD @ University of Washington, Seattle (2020-2025)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liusnotluis/
https://x.com/liuswrites
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Andrea Lius’s Journalist Portfolio

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Clumps of mouse brain cells can learn to play a virtual game

Sure, playing video game is fun. But the ability of tiny brain organoids to pick up a skill could provide ins…

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Can Tattoos Cause Cancer? Researchers Investigate a Potential Link

Several new epidemiological studies hint at a possible link between tattoos and cancer. The results are not y…

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Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged fo...

After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, th…

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Some snakes lack the 'hunger hormone.' Experts are hungry to know why

The complex biology of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, has researchers wondering how its absence helps snakes la…

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The Gollum Effect: 44 Percent of Scientists Report Territorial Research Experiences

Survey data showed that hoarding research topics and resources, termed the Gollum effect, has a lasting impac…

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Debate on Dinosaur Colors Persists After 15 Years

Many paleontologists believe that the shape of fossilized pigment containers in cells can help determine dino…

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Articles

Flipping lipids and slime molds

May 12, 2026 |

By Andrea Lius

Todd Graham once called his first science job “the most boring thing I’d ever done.” A second job studying protein trafficking in slime mold changed everything. Today, his lab is still studying protein trafficking. Graham is a professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University and an associate editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Graham recently discussed his work on phospholipid flippases and his career with ASBMB Today.

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Bread-Based Bacterial Vaccine Boosted Colon Cancer Therapy in Mice

Apr 20, 2026 |

By Andrea Lius

| The Scientist

Immunotherapies have dramatically improved outcomes for patients with cancer, but some patient populations, such as a large subset of individuals with colorectal cancer, respond poorly to these treatments. However, a potential way to boost these therapies lies with an unexpected source: the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. In a new study in mice, researchers found that ingestion of attenuated L.

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Clumps of mouse brain cells can learn to play a virtual game

Mar 25, 2026 |

By Andrea Lius

| Science News

Clumps of mouse brain cells about the size of peppercorns can gain the knowhow to perform a virtual circus trick. With some coaching, these mouse brain organoids learned to keep a pole upright on a virtual moving cart — the video game equivalent of balancing a ruler vertically on your palm — researchers report in the Feb. 24 Cell Reports. The organoids didn’t retain that knowledge for long, says cognitive neuroscientist Ash Robbins of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Interview

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Have you ever used a typewriter?

Sadly, no, though it showed up (three times!) as a challenge on The Amazing Race, so maybe I should learn how to use one :D

What does it mean to be a journalist?

Always approaching new stories or ideas with an open mind. A plan is good, but an open mind is what lets you go where the story goes.