Stories by Jessica Morrison

Earliest Skeletal Animals Built Coral Reefs

Reef-building in skeletal animals appeared much earlier in evolutionary history than previously thought, as far back as 548 million years ago

Bees Build Mental Maps to Get Home

The insects rely on more than the sun as a compass

San Francisco Is Due for a Seismic Shake-Up

A study of earthquake cycles suggests a coming period of greater seismic activity in the Bay Area in the coming decades

Noise from Our Electronics and Radio Signals Disorients Migratory Birds

The finding from a study of European robins in shielded huts suggests that cities have significant effects on the migration patterns of birds that rely on internal magnetic compasses

Darwin's Finches Stamp Out Deadly Parasite with Help from Cotton Balls

Insecticide-laced nest materials offer a simple fix for parasite infestations

X-Ray Method Could Improve Nuclear Screening

A rapid imaging technique adapted from medical applications shows promise in the detection of nuclear materials

"Electronic Skin" Equipped with Memory

A new wearable sensor stores and transmits motion data and delivers drugs

Human Nose Can Detect 1 Trillion Odors

What the the nose knows might as well be limitless, researchers suggest.

Astrophysicist Confirmed as NSF Director

France Cordova takes the helm of the National Science Foundation at a time of tight federal budgets for science

Flat Budgets for NIH and NSF in Obama's 2015 Plan

With Congress unlikely to approve tax-based boosts for science, agency funding hopes are dashed

China Becomes World's Third-Largest Producer of Research Articles

Quantity is favored over quality, experts say

Can Science Save Us? Mourdock Sees a Savior in Science

1 Year Later, What Does Fukushima Mean for Nuclear Research?

How does a Canadian-American professor of uranium mineralogy living in the unassuming American Midwest respond to the one-year anniversary of Fukushima?

The Disappearing Actinides, and Other Frustrations from the Bottom Row of the Periodic Table of the Elements

I bought three copies of Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Science on a Mission: Engineering a Sustainable Future for Haitians without Homes

Rad Science: Getting to Know Tomorrow's Nuclear Scientists

Conversation Piece: The Evolution of Nuclear Science