Stories by Meghan Bartels

Meghan Bartels is a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Scientific American in 2023 and is now a senior reporter there. Previously, she spent more than four years as a writer and editor at Space.com, as well as nearly a year as a science reporter at Newsweek, where she focused on space and Earth science. Her writing has also appeared in Audubon, Nautilus, Astronomy and Smithsonian, among other publications. She attended Georgetown University and earned a master’s degree in journalism at New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.

A chicken hatched from an artificial egg created by Colossal Biosciences.

ExtinctionMay 20, 2026

A contentious effort to ‘resurrect’ the extinct moa and dodo takes a step forward

The science of de-extinction does not exist, but Colossal Biosciences’ “artificial egg” is an interesting technical feat

Meghan Bartels, Adam Kovac

A small, seahorselike fish covered in orange filaments that look like hairs.

OceansMay 15, 2026

Meet the tiny fish that looks like Mr. Snuffleupagus

A strange, tiny fish that resembles the famous Sesame Street character camouflages amid red algae thanks to its flamboyant reddish “hairs”

Meghan Bartels

A small bright crescent against blackness.

SpacecraftMay 14, 2026

NASA’s Psyche mission is snapping photos of Mars on its way to an asteroid

The Psyche spacecraft is bound for a metal-rich asteroid that it will examine up close starting in 2029. But first, it needs to swing past the Red Planet

Meghan Bartels

A purple coral that looks like a splay of fuzzy fingers, against a background of other coral and pale blue ocean.

EcologyMay 14, 2026

How the war in Iran could endanger one of Earth’s most unique ecosystems

Despite decades of damage, the Persian Gulf’s ecological marvels remain—for now

Meghan Bartels

A view of the lunar surface showing craters in sharp relief.

Space ExplorationMay 4, 2026

NASA just dropped more than 12,000 Artemis II photos—here’s how to see them

Want to go to the moon? Travel vicariously through the more than 12,000 photos NASA just posted from the Artemis II mission

Meghan Bartels

A crescent-lit Earth peeking out over a dark lunar surface like a half-obscured sunrise.

The EnvironmentApril 22, 2026

Earth Day in the Artemis era: Can NASA’s moon missions spur a new environmental movement?

Fresh takes on Apollo’s famous “Earthrise” and “Blue Marble” images showed off our planet’s beauty just weeks before Earth Day

Meghan Bartels

An artist's depiction of a Voyager spacecraft in outer space.

SpacecraftApril 20, 2026

NASA shuts down one of Voyager 1’s instruments to try keep the spacecraft alive

This iconic spacecraft launched nearly 49 years ago and is running perilously low on power

Meghan Bartels

An image of half of Jupiter's disk turned on its side, with its distinctive stripes running vertically and the Great Red Spot to the left.

SpacecraftApril 9, 2026

White House budget seeks to scrap 54 major NASA science missions

Experts found that the White House budget request for the upcoming fiscal year could defund 54 NASA science missions, including a spacecraft currently studying Jupiter and two planned Venus missions

Meghan Bartels

Four people make thumbs-up signs inside a tight spacecraft.

Space ExplorationApril 9, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II moon mission faces the final hurdle—coming home

After a hectic eight days in space, the Artemis II crew—and the many NASA personnel supporting their journey—are ready for the mission’s final milestone

Meghan Bartels

To the left, the gray, cratered surface of the moon. To the right, a crescent Earth.

Space ExplorationApril 7, 2026

See NASA’s Artemis II mission’s first incredible photos of the moon, Earth and a total solar eclipse

The first images from NASA’s Artemis II mission’s lunar flyby were worth the wait

Meghan Bartels

The white corona of the sun shines around the moon, which is almost entirely in shadow. Stars shine around the moon.

Space ExplorationApril 7, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II crew experience total solar eclipse from space

From the perspective of the Orion capsule, the moon will fully block the sun’s disk for nearly an hour

Meghan Bartels

A grainy view of a spacecraft, the crescent moon and the crescent Earth.

Space ExplorationApril 6, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II moon mission reaches greatest distance from Earth

The space exploration milestone came during a 40-minute period during which the Artemis II astronauts were unable to communicate with Earth

Meghan Bartels

A man in a spacecraft looks out a small round window showing a bright crescent.

Space ExplorationApril 6, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are officially farther from Earth than any human has gone before

The four astronauts onboard NASA’s moon mission just broke the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human

Meghan Bartels

A detailed view of the full disk of the illuminated near side of the moon.

Space ExplorationApril 4, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II moon mission prepares for a host of science observations

The Artemis II crew will spend about six hours observing the moon on Monday. Here’s what they’ll be looking for

Meghan Bartels

A space capsule seen against the blackness of space.

Space ExplorationApril 4, 2026

Where is Artemis II now? NASA mission is now closer to moon than Earth

The third day of the Artemis II mission was relatively quiet, as four astronauts continued on their trek to fly around the moon

Meghan Bartels

A comet with a fuzzy cloud of gas and dust.

Space ExplorationApril 3, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts may catch a comet—if it can survive the sun

Amid a journey of celestial spectacles, the Artemis II astronauts may spot a comet—if it survives a dash past the sun

Meghan Bartels

On the left, an image of the sun shown releasing a bubble of material toward the center of the image. On the right, an image of Earth surrounded by a complicated sheath of lines indicating the magnetosphere.

Space ExplorationMarch 31, 2026

How NASA will keep the Artemis II astronauts safe from space weather

A major solar storm during the Artemis II mission could harm astronauts. Here’s how NASA is protecting them

Meghan Bartels

Four people standing in blue flight suits arrayed behind a microphone.

Space ExplorationMarch 27, 2026

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts arrive in Florida ahead of moon launch

During their 10-day mission, this four-person crew will swing around the far side of the moon—and potentially travel farther from Earth than anyone in history

Meghan Bartels

An illustration of a round virus covered in red spikes dissolving away.

VaccinesMarch 27, 2026

Why you should keep getting mRNA vaccines

The COVID pandemic ushered mRNA vaccines into the spotlight, and the technology has even greater potential. Here’s what to know about the way that they work, their safety, and more

Meghan Bartels

An abstract and colorful line drawing of a telescope tumbling through space.

SpacecraftMarch 26, 2026

Inside NASA’s audacious plan to save a doomed space telescope

NASA’s Swift space telescope is doomed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year. A daring mission to boost it to safety could have big implications for science

Meghan Bartels