Copy editor & fact-checker @sciam

Emily Makowski’s Journalist Portfolio

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My Synesthesia Transforms Speech into Text I 'See' in My Head

My Synesthesia Transforms Speech into Text I 'See' in My Head

Scientific American — From the time I learned to read, I have experienced a form of mental closed-captioning called ticker-tape synesthesia

Hadiyah-Nicole Green Targets Cancer With Lasers

Hadiyah-Nicole Green Targets Cancer With Lasers

The Scientist — Spurred by family tragedy, the medical physicist wants to treat cancer in a new way.

Theory that Coronavirus Escaped from a Lab Lacks Evidence

Theory that Coronavirus Escaped from a Lab Lacks Evidence

The Scientist — The pathogen appears to have come from wild animals, virologists say, and there are no signs of genetic manipulation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

Ants Produce Antibiotics that May Protect Plants

Ants Produce Antibiotics that May Protect Plants

The Scientist — Some ants produce natural antibiotic chemicals to defend themselves against fungi and bacteria. Ecologist Joachim Offenberg of Aarhus University in Denmark wondered what effect these compounds had on the health of the plants the ants called home.

Into the Light: A Profile of Joanne Chory

Into the Light: A Profile of Joanne Chory

The Scientist — The plant geneticist has revolutionized researchers’ understanding of how light affects plant growth and development, and is engineering plants to combat climate change.

Ecuadorian Cactus Absorbs Ultrasound, Enticing Bats to Flowers

Ecuadorian Cactus Absorbs Ultrasound, Enticing Bats to Flowers

The Scientist — Many plants reflect ultrasonic waves, thereby attracting the pollinators, but one cactus takes a different approach.

Florida Cracks Down on Foreign Government Involvement in Research

Florida Cracks Down on Foreign Government Involvement in Research

The Scientist — Four University of Florida faculty members leave their jobs as a state committee that formed last month pledges to investigate individual researchers and institutions.

Barbara Pickard, Plant Mechanosensory Researcher, Dies

Barbara Pickard, Plant Mechanosensory Researcher, Dies

The Scientist — The mechanobiologist at Washington University in St. Louis studied how plants sense their environment.

Oded Rechavi Studies the RNA Nematodes Pass to Their Offspring

Oded Rechavi Studies the RNA Nematodes Pass to Their Offspring

The Scientist — The Tel Aviv University researcher is interested in how the macromolecules affect the health and behavior of successive generations of worms.

A Woman of Firsts, Early 20th Century

A Woman of Firsts, Early 20th Century

The Scientist — Florence Sabin was known for her pioneering research and efforts to support women in science.

Circadian Clock Genes Help a Crop Pest Adapt to Climate Change

Circadian Clock Genes Help a Crop Pest Adapt to Climate Change

The Scientist — As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.

Ten Bird Species Newly Identified on Indonesian Islands

Ten Bird Species Newly Identified on Indonesian Islands

The Scientist — Flycatchers, warblers, and more were spotted in a biodiverse region known as Wallacea.

Alcohol-Related Deaths in US Doubled in Past Two Decades: Study

Alcohol-Related Deaths in US Doubled in Past Two Decades: Study

The Scientist — White women had the highest increase in death rate.

UK Group Tackles Reproducibility in Research

UK Group Tackles Reproducibility in Research

The Scientist — Last month, 10 UK universities became part of the UK Reproducibility Network, joining researchers, funders, journal publishers, and regulatory agencies.

Bruce McEwen, Stress Hormone Researcher, Dies

Bruce McEwen, Stress Hormone Researcher, Dies

The Scientist — The Rockefeller University neuroendocrinologist made landmark discoveries on how hormones affect brain structure.

Can Exercise Explain the Health Benefits of Natural Environments?

Can Exercise Explain the Health Benefits of Natural Environments?

The Scientist — Researchers found that people who spend more time outdoors also spend more time being active and socializing, but it probably doesn’t account for all of the health boost associated with green spaces.

EPA Science Board Criticizes Proposed Regulatory Rollbacks

EPA Science Board Criticizes Proposed Regulatory Rollbacks

The Scientist — Most of the panel’s members were appointed by the Trump administration.

China Sentences Gene-Editing Scientist to Three Years in Jail

China Sentences Gene-Editing Scientist to Three Years in Jail

The Scientist — The modification of three babies’ genes by He Jiankui drew widespread criticism from scientists.

Reanalyzed Fossils Could Be Last Known Homo erectus Specimens

Reanalyzed Fossils Could Be Last Known Homo erectus Specimens

The Scientist — A mass death event claimed the hominins’ lives and likely resulted from changing environmental conditions.

NIH Considering New Recommendations on Sexual Harassment Policies

NIH Considering New Recommendations on Sexual Harassment Policies

The Scientist — A working group has put forth suggestions for cracking down on misconduct, such as requiring grant applicants to disclose sexual harassment findings.

FDA Approves Previously Rejected Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

FDA Approves Previously Rejected Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

The Scientist — The drug Vyondys 53 has met a surrogate endpoint of protein production, but there’s no clear proof it has a clinical benefit.

The Scientist's 2019 Gift Guide

The Scientist's 2019 Gift Guide

The Scientist — Wishing you a sciency season’s greetings!

Congress Set to Form Groups to Protect US Research Security

Congress Set to Form Groups to Protect US Research Security

The Scientist — The National Defense Authorization Act calls for a new task force and roundtable to limit foreign government involvement in federally funded research.

Circulating Fetal Cells Sequenced for Prenatal Testing Study

Circulating Fetal Cells Sequenced for Prenatal Testing Study

The Scientist — Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.
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