Science editor, online @SmithsonianMag. Field and Lab newsletter joespring.substack.com/?r=1uh9fm&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist Past @outsidemagazine
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 Joe Spring
Twenty Tiny Moth Species Likely Flew to Hawai‘i. How Did They Do It?
The Hawaiian island chain—thousands of miles from any continent—is one of the most isolated on Earth. Long before tourists flew here for vacation, or island residents shipped goods in to fill their homes, or Polynesians arrived on voyaging canoes, animals faced a Herculean task getting here. But a remarkable series of recent discoveries shows that a family of tiny moths may have colonized Hawai‘i at least 20 different times, millions of years before humans settled the archipelago.
These Tiny Moths Likely Flew to Hawai'i 20 Times. How Did They Do It?
The Hawaiian island chain—thousands of miles from any continent—is one of the most isolated on Earth. Long before tourists flew here for vacation, or island residents shipped goods in to fill their homes, or Polynesians arrived on voyaging canoes, animals faced a Herculean task getting here. But a remarkable series of recent discoveries shows that a family of tiny moths may have colonized Hawai‘i at least 20 different times, millions of years before humans settled the archipelago.
These Scientists Just Mapped Scorpion Hot Spots. Here’s Why You Should Care.
A sting from a deathstalker scorpion, which lives in northern African and the Middle East, can kill a child. But the venom from the arachnid may help save lives too. Peptides originally isolated from the scorpion venom have been shown to bind with tumor cells. Doctors can use a synthetic version, combined with a near infrared fluorescent dye, to light up harmful cells.
When It Comes to Greening the Desert, Rattlesnakes May Be Prolific Gardeners
Evolutionary ecologist Gordon Schuett has been working with rattlesnakes since he was 15 years old. When the 68-year-old was in high school in Ohio, he kept somewhere between 50 to 100 snakes, many of them venomous, in his mom’s basement. Copperheads and rattlesnakes moved under heat lamps in 10- and 20-gallon aquariums sitting on racks Schuett built with two-by-fours. His mother, a nurse, understood the risks and still encouraged her son to follow his passion to study the animals.
When Tiger Sharks Show Up to Hunt Seabirds, Other Sharks Steer Clear
As the sun rises in the morning and the winds pick up, fledgling albatrosses line the sandy island’s edge, facing the Pacific Ocean, and flap their wings. Some will get just a couple feet of air. Others will fly far, disappearing into the distance and soaring over the open ocean for years before returning to this island to eventually nest. But others will fly only 15 to 20 feet, lose their lift, and plop into the nearby surf—where tiger sharks wait.
From Growl-Rumble-Whoops to Moan-Whines: Hawaiian Monk Seals Have a Vocal Repertoire Full of Surprises
More than a decade ago, I went camping alone on East Island—a small, sandy, remote dot of land on the coral atoll Lalo in Papahānaumokuakea Marine National Monument, our nation’s largest protected area. Every night I studied Hawaiian green sea turtles, or honu, for the federal government, squatting behind the animals in the soil to watch, tag, and measure the females. I had no cellphone, no internet, and no companions.
Joe Spring
From Growl-Rumble-Whoops to Moan-Whines: Hawaiian Monk Seals Have a Vocal Repertoire Full of Surprises The endangered species is the only pinniped known to string together vocalizations with no break
Stream the Beautiful Highs and Violent Lows of Albatross Life With This New 24-Hour Camera on Midway Atoll
You can see the large white seabirds dancing, preening, feeding and raising young—though the live feed might show a dark side of island living, too, with potential predation from invasive mice Ecologist Wieteke Holthuijzen has loved birds since she was in grade school. The 33-year-old PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, grew up in a family that treasures science. Her dad was a wildlife ecologist with the electrical utility Idaho Power for decades.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2025
From “experimental archaeology” to the mysterious appeal of exploration, the wide-ranging subjects detailed in these titles captivated Smithsonian magazine’s science contributors this year In 2025, our science reporters followed the first confirmed glimpse of a colossal squid and a rare look at dinosaur blood vessels. We watched the odds of a future asteroid impact climb to higher-than-normal levels—then drop back down to zero.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2025
Hemp shop owners aren't just worried about their own futures, but also that of their customers, many of whom rely on the products to deal with pain, …
Why Do Mosquitos Bite Some People More Than Others? Your Blood Type, Sweat Contents and Even Alcohol Consumption May Make You More Attractive to the Pesky Insects
Scientists are working hard to discover the factors that drive the blood-sucking insects to target certain individuals You come in from a summer hike covered with itchy red mosquito bites, only to have your friends innocently proclaim that they don’t have any. Or you wake up from a night of camping to find your ankles and wrists aflame with bites, while your tentmates are unscathed. You’re not alone.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2024
Smart News | From a deep dive on a fatal space shuttle disaster to a study of a dozen iconic trees, these are our favorite titles this year This year, millions of viewers looked to the sky during a momentous day in April to view a stunning total solar eclipse. During select nights throughout the year, they gazed at spectacular auroras. As record heat spread over our planet again this year, Atlantic hurricanes fueled by warm waters hit the United States hard.
The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Encounters of the Century, From a Fatal Attack on an 8-Year-Old Boy to a Zookeeper Bitten by a Battling Animal
As tourism to see the endangered species is on the rise and their habitat decreases, on some very rare occasions, the animals bite Mr. Safina, a local guide working at Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, took a particular relish in describing to Smithsonian magazine reporter Rachel Nuwer the way a Komodo dragon’s strong jaws can snap a man’s leg in two.
The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Encounters of the Century, From a Fatal Attack on an 8-Year-Old Boy to a Zookeeper Bitten by a Battling Animal
As tourism to see the endangered species is on the rise and their habitat decreases, on some very rare occasions, the animals bite Mr. Safina, a local guide working at Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, took a particular relish in describing to Smithsonian magazine reporter Rachel Nuwer the way a Komodo dragon’s strong jaws can snap a man’s leg in two.
See Ten Strange and Mesmerizing Creatures From the Deep Ocean, From Sea Toads to Frilled Sharks
By the time the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) finished an expedition off the coast of Chile earlier this year, its scientists had amassed a slew of amazing deep-sea discoveries. During the cruise, researchers sent an underwater robot capable of descending more than 14,000 feet below the surface to collect video footage and specimens from seamounts. After analyzing what they had gathered, the international team revealed they had likely found more than 100 new species.
Just How Much Can We Trust A.I. to Predict Extreme Weather?
Continue reading More for You
Just How Much Can We Trust A.I. to Predict Extreme Weather?
Computer scientist and meteorologist Amy McGovern has studied the technology for two decades, and she weighs in with some answers The stories on artificial intelligence’s improving ability to predict extreme weather often begin with powerful hurricanes.
Just How Much Can We Trust A.I. to Predict Extreme Weather?
Technology 5 hours ago I tried Google’s new one-click AI podcast creator, and now I don’t know what’s real anymore techradar.com - By Graham Barlow • 5h I’ve had a glimpse of how AI will change the world, and it’s filling me with both fear and wonder in equal measure.
Tiny Trackers Are Revealing the Secret Lives of Tens of Thousands of Birds
Well before ornithologist Lucas Berrigan embraced technology to find out where birds travel around the world, he started bird-watching around his home. At around 10 years old, anytime he heard a new call in Nova Scotia, he’d search out the bird. At 14, he went to a remote station on Bon Portage Island, just off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia, to learn how to band birds. At 15, he was hired for a seasonal job on the island conducting a bird census route each morning and banding the animals.
These Stunning Portraits of Insects Reveal the Intricacies of an Amazing World
Photographer Thorben Danke combines hundreds of shots to create breathtaking images of the tiny creatures Thanks to a time stamp, Thorben Danke knows the exact moment he got hooked on photographing insects. On July 22, 2016, at 6:05 p.m. he happened to see a green bottle fly sitting near him on his garage wall. Danke had been playing around with the settings on his pricy new digital camera, learning how to focus on closer subjects.
JOE CHIA Spring/Summer 2025
JOE CHIA presented its Spring/Summer 2025 “Chapter 24” collection during Paris Fashion Week. The collection strikes a perfect balance between heritage and modern sensibilities. Imagine the finest knitted linen, supple lambskin leather, and luxurious silk, all woven together to create pieces that are effortlessly versatile. Each garment is designed to stand out on its own, yet seamlessly integrate into a cohesive look. Check it out below:
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2023
In 2023, a whirlwind of science headlines swept across our screens, from the find that our ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago to the discovery of a brilliant green comet in the sky. In major health news, the coronavirus public health emergency expired, and the disease took up less of our attention, though it continued to have disastrous impacts. Medical experts are anticipating updated annual vaccines will be released to continue fighting the virus as it evolves.
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2023
Wait, What Does 'Yuletide' Actually Mean? Plus, find out how this term is related to Christmas. Winter is settling in, and there’s no doubt that your home is filled with the aroma of freshly …
These Ten Brilliant Portraits Illuminate Ocean Creatures' Nighttime Antics
After the sun sets over Florida, and the sky and the seas beneath it become pitch black, 55-year-old Palm Beach County dentist Steven Kovacs grabs his photography gear, meets his friends and heads six miles or so out into the Atlantic Ocean. They throw out a mooring line with lights to guide them and their boat, but otherwise darkness stretches thousands of feet beneath them and miles in any direction.
These Ten Brilliant Portraits Illuminate Ocean Creatures' Nighttime Antics
Shipwrecks 1 hour ago Father-Daughter Duo ‘Stumble Across’ 152-Year-Old Shipwreck Off Wisconsin Coast The Messenger - Yelena Dzhanova • 1h Over the summer, a father and his daughter discovered a 152-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Wisconsin while they were fishing, according to … Shipwrecks 5 hours ago The world's oldest shipwreck has just been found The world's oldest shipwreck has just been found 8,000-year-old relic found at bottom of ocean could lead to ‘mind-blowing’ discovery SABAP...
The Ten Best Science Books of 2023
The Best Books of 2023 A Smithsonian magazine special report From stories on the depths of the ocean to the stars in the sky, these are the works that moved us the most this year In the past 12 months, record-breaking wildfires burned across Canada, and a tragic blaze swept through Maui. A piece of an asteroid landed on Earth after an epic space mission, and artificial intelligence advanced in leaps and bounds.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2023
Middle East 1 day ago The Israel-Hamas war is tearing American cultural institutions apart Vox - Marin Cogan • 1d Artists are protesting Israel’s offensive. The art and literary worlds are struggling to respond. Artists are pulling their work from the National Gallery of Art, which receives funding from Congress, in protest of the US providing military aid to Israel.
The Lonely Battle to Save Species on a Tiny Speck in the Pacific Original
In May of 2021, Brittany Clemans and Lindsey Bull, two sea turtle biologists in their 20s, were walking around Tern Island, an incredibly remote block of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, when they came across a Hawaiian green sea turtle. She had crawled onto the island the night before to nest and wandered into a hole in a metal wall, likely on her way back to the water. Her front end had made it through, but the widest part of her shell got wedged in.
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2022 Original
2022 marked a year when the world continued to feel its way through the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet another new variant upended the desire to arrive at a “new normal,” but the development of improved vaccines kept utter despondency at bay. In many ways, the pandemic became part of the noise surrounding us on a daily basis, maintaining its place as not just a major science story, but a geopolitical one as well. The rest of the science world upended our lives, too, in good ways and bad.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2022 Original
This year in science was filled with amazing discoveries, sobering stats related to mounting illness and death from viruses, and major technological achievements in space. Researchers discovered lost cities in the Bolivian Amazon after flying over the rainforest. Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) spread around the United States, while global deaths from Covid-19 topped six million. And the James Webb Space Telescope unfolded to capture breathtaking images of our universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope: A Swiss Army Knife in Space
The James Webb Telescope Successfully Launches Into Space by Joe Spring/Smithsonianmag.com In an incremental sign the universe rewards the diligent behavior and patience of astronomers out to study it, conditions cleared enough this Christmas morning for the launch of the biggest, most powerful and most expensive telescope ever.
The James Webb Telescope Successfully Launches Into Space
An artist’s conception of the James Webb Space Telescope at work. NASA GSFC / CIL / Adriana Manrique Gutierrez via Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0 In an incremental sign the universe rewards the diligent behavior and patience of astronomers out to study it, conditions cleared enough this Christmas morning for the launch of the biggest, most powerful and most expensive telescope ever.
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021
From amazing firsts on Mars to the impacts of climate change on Earth, these science stories stood out as the most important of 2021 Photo illustration by Meilan Solly / Photos via Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons Covid-19 dominated science coverage again in 2021, and deservedly so. The disease garnered two entries on this list of our picks for the most important science stories of the year. But other key discoveries and achievements marked the year in science too, and they deserve more attention.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2021
Illustration by Valerie Ruland-Schwartz This year the news cycle was dominated again by stories about Covid-19, and rightly so, but other big discoveries were made throughout the sciences. NASA landed another rover on Mars, researchers discovered a new possible species of human, and scientists found ways climate change is influencing the evolution of animals—all topics that may lend themselves to future books.
Why Do Pilot Whales Chase Killer Whales Near Iceland?
Killer whales are among the oceans’ top predators. But in Iceland, pilot whales have them running scared. Filipa Samarra This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. Filipa Samarra could hear the pilot whales before she could see them. In 2015, out on the choppy waters off southern Iceland, Samarra and her research team were eavesdropping on a group of killer whales.
Meet the White Tern, a Seabird Surprisingly Thriving in a Big City
This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. This article is part of Birdopolis, a three-part series that explores the lives of birds that are, by accident or design, spending more time in urban environments.
Honolulu: A Seabird’s Surprising Five-Star Destination | Hakai Magazine
A seabird known as the white tern or Manu-o-Kū has surprised birders by taking up residence in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Photo by Melody Bentz The white tern—Manu-o-Kū—has excited ornithologists, its population growing within the busiest of Hawai‘i’s urban landscapes.
How Rivers in the Sky Melt Huge Holes in Antarctic Ice
New research is causing scientists to rethink how polynyas—massive openings in the sea ice—are formed A polynya opens up in the Weddell Sea. (Wolfgang Kaehler / LightRocket via Getty Images) By Ainslie Cruickshank, Hakai smithsonianmag.com March 2, 2021 This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com.
How Covid-19 Has Hurt the Effort to Track STDs
Last year, as cases of Covid-19 spread across her Houston community, public health official Guadalupe Valdovinos was pulled from her job contact tracing sexually transmitted diseases (STD) to work on contract tracing cases of the novel coronavirus.
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2020
Rachael Lallensack & Joe Spring Smithsonian January 4, 2021 Covid-19 dominated science coverage in 2020, and rightly so. The world grappled with how to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus, learning about how it spread (whether it was on surfaces, via droplets or being airborne) and how it affected the human body (from immunity to symptoms like loss of smell.) Read Full Article »
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2020
Covid-19 dominated science coverage in 2020, and rightly so. The world grappled with how to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus, learning about how it spread (whether it was on surfaces, via droplets or being airborne) and how it affected the human body (from immunity to symptoms like loss of smell.) But scientific endeavors in other fields, whether affected directly by the pandemic or indirectly by public health measures, didn’t come to a complete halt because of SARS-CoV-2.
The Ten Best Science Books of 2020
When it came to science news this year, our feeds were filled with discoveries and studies, many of them about Covid-19. Those stories, often about potential vaccines and transmission rates, but also about space travel and forest fires, certainly demanded attention. But it’s important that this year’s longer works about science don’t get lost in the deluge of content.
Planet Positive
Special Report Planet Positive From stories about rebounding endangered species to others about innovations that reduce our carbon footprint, these Smithsonian magazine dispatches show what's working in wildlife and environmental conservation.
Surviving a Viper Bite
Experts at the Global Snakebite Initiative estimate venomous snakes seriously injure 2.7 million people and kill 125,000 people annually. Most deaths occur in tropical regions of Asia and Africa, where farmers and children in rural communities experience increased exposure to bites and reduced access to proper healthcare and antivenom. People in the Americas are also at risk.
Former Cop Offered Deal in Bike Crash
A 57-year-old former Metropolitan police officer has been offered a plea deal after an accident in which he swore at a cyclist, hit him with his truck, drove from the scene, and then lied about the incident. John W. Diehl of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crime an accident. Washington D.C.'s WTOP detailed the sentence. Cyclist Evan Wilder filmed the entire August 31, 2011, incident—which you can watch below—on his helmet cam.
Sebastian Junger Talks About RISC and Tim Hetherington
One year ago today, photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros died after a mortar shell exploded near them on Tripoli Street in the city of Misrata, Libya. They were embedded with rebels fighting the army of Colonel Qaddafi. Hondros died of severe brain injuries. Hetherington bled out in the back of a truck through a cut in his femoral artery. It's possible that if someone with the proper training had attended to Hetherington, he could have been saved.
Kayaker Completes 4,000-Mile Expedition
In early 2012, a former corporate lawyer named Daniel Alvarez pitched Outside a back-of-the-napkin plan to kayak 4,000 miles from Minnesota to Florida that was so awesomely deranged, the magazine announced it would pay his way. On March 9, he completed his eight-month journey. Daniel Alvarez paddled his 17-foot yellow sea kayak onto a Key West beach crowded with revelers and celebrated his arrival with a breakfast of Key Lime Pie.
Jeb Corliss on The Flying Dagger
On September 28, aerial stuntman Jeb Corliss plans to jump out a helicopter and pilot his wingsuit through a 30-foot-wide fissure in a nearly 900-foot-tall fin of rock, called Mount Jianglang, in China. The stunt, which Corliss is dubbing “The Flying Dagger,” requires that he fly with more precision for a longer period of time than he ever has before. And he says pulling off such sustained control isn’t even the scariest part of what he’s attempting. It's been a rough year for BASE jumpers.
5 Near-Death Experiences from the Adventurers Who Lived
How do you save someone who's already dead? Rafa Ortiz, Rush Sturges, and Gerd Serrasolses found out. The Rio Tulijá is a remote white-water river that snakes its way through the rainforest of southern Mexico. Often called Agua Azul because of its swimming-pool-blue color, it features a stunning stretch of five waterfalls ranging from 40 to 70 feet tall.
Zak Noyle's Wave Photography
Photographer Zak Noyle spends most of his time chasing a wave’s eye view of the world. He’ll fly halfway around the globe at a moment’s notice to photograph surfers dropping into monster swells. Take, for example, a trip he made last year. He had just returned to Honolulu from Los Angeles when he got word a big swell was going to pass over an offshore reef in Indonesia. He grabbed his packed bag and hopped on a flight back to Los Angeles to meet up with surfers.
Show More
loading
Actions
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.Get in touch with Joe
Contact Joe, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack