Stories by Andrea Gawrylewski

Andrea Gawrylewski is chief newsletter editor at Scientific American. She writes the daily Today in Science newsletter and oversees all other newsletters at the magazine. In addition, she manages all special editions and in the past was the editor for Scientific American Mind, Scientific American Space & Physics and Scientific American Health & Medicine. Gawrylewski got her start in journalism at the Scientist magazine, where she was a features writer and editor for "hot" research papers in the life sciences. She spent more than six years in educational publishing, editing books for higher education in biology, environmental science and nutrition. She holds a master's degree in earth science and a master's degree in journalism, both from Columbia University, home of the Pulitzer Prize.

Illustration of passengers From hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius arriving at Eindhoven Airport

Public HealthMay 18, 2026

Hantavirus outbreak has new updates, PCOS is now PMOS, fish hides in another animal’s ‘butthole’

What you should know about hantavirus, why PCOS is getting a new name, and how some fish hide in an unusual spot

Rachel Feltman, Tanya Lewis, Andrea Gawrylewski, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

An image of gloved hands holding a Hantavirus sample in a tube while wearing a blue scrubs.

Public HealthMay 11, 2026

Hantavirus outbreak occurs at sea, microplastics may contribute to warming, and Alaska landslide sparks tsunami

A deadly hantavirus outbreak occurs on a cruise ship, scientists warn that microplastics may be contributing to climate warming, and a retreating-glacier‑triggered landslide unleashed a massive Alaska tsunami

Rachel Feltman, Tanya Lewis, Andrea Gawrylewski, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

Illustration of a scorpion on a tree bark

MedicineMay 4, 2026

Scorpion stingers with metals, preeclampsia hope, more cuts to U.S. wind energy

A look at what makes scorpions so deadly, why there’s hope for preeclampsia and how President Trump is gutting wind energy

Rachel Feltman, Andrea Gawrylewski, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

An image of a hippo with its mouth open coming out of the water.

The EnvironmentApril 20, 2026

‘Cocaine hippos,’ faster aging with HIV and the hidden dangers of inflammation

“Cocaine hippos,” underground bees, and fresh insights into aging and heart health

Rachel Feltman, Andrea Gawrylewski, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

Illustrated portrait of Robert Macfarlane

BooksDecember 5, 2025

Is a river alive? A conversation with Robert Macfarlane on nature’s sovereignty

Scientific American sits down with nature writer Robert Macfarlane to discuss his latest book—one of our top picks of 2025—and whether a river has rights

Andrea Gawrylewski

Cover of the Ultimate Math special edition issue of Scientific American against a yellow background

MathematicsDecember 2, 2025

This Is the Math at the Heart of Reality

Mathematics is not only an esoteric vocation but also indispensably alive and deeply human

Andrea Gawrylewski

Cover of The Conscious Brain special edition of Scientific American

ConsciousnessSeptember 2, 2025

Is Consciousness the Hallmark of Life?

As AI grows more fluent in mimicking human empathy, language and memory, we’re left asking: If a machine can fake awareness so well, what exactly is the real thing?

Andrea Gawrylewski

Cover of Scientific American's special edition issue Into the Quantum Realm against a blue background

Quantum PhysicsJune 3, 2025

Bizarre Quantum Universe

Even how matter exists in the first place is a mystery to physicists

Andrea Gawrylewski

Cover of the 2015 Q1 special edition issue of Scientific American

Artificial IntelligenceMarch 4, 2025

The AI Future Is Here

AI’s integration into everything—untangling traffic snarls, dictating drug prescriptions, rewriting the rules of scientific discovery—is accelerating quickly

Andrea Gawrylewski