andrea tamayo

In Maryland's Potomac River, life makes a home out of more than 100 shipwrecks, turning their skeletons into flourishing ecosystems.

It was a pleasure to report and write this for @sciam.bsky.social, and be skillfully edited by @andreatweather.bsky.social.

These Magic Mushroom Edibles Have No Psilocybin—And Potentially Dangerous Undisclosed Ingredients Researchers tested 12 “magic mushroom” edibles. None contained psilocybin, but most contained undisclosed ingredients, including synthetic drugs whose safety hasn’t been tested in humans

Researchers tested 12 magic mushroom edibles purchased at Portland gas stations and convenience stores. None had psilocybin, but what some of them contained instead could be dangerous. My latest for @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/magi... 🧪

This Rubber Duck Isn’t Going Anywhere—Thanks to a Super-Sticky Gel Today this material can seal pipes and brave the ocean. But someday it could be used in surgery or underwater repairs

Keeping this duck stuck is a harder feat than it seems. But scientists have made a super-sticky hydrogel that can brave the saltwater and stick things underwater. The coolest part: the material was inspired by the adhesive abilities found in nature, such as the proteins in mussels and barnacles.

Sudan’s Cholera Outbreak Has Sickened Thousands—Here’s What’s Driving It An ongoing civil war in Sudan has forced millions of people to flee their homes and move to camps, where a lack of water and sanitation infrastructure, along with heavy rains, are fueling a massive ch...

An ongoing civil war in Sudan has forced millions of people to flee their homes and move to camps, where a lack of water and sanitation infrastructure, along with heavy rains, are fueling a massive cholera outbreak. What role does the environment play in how the outbreak is spreading?

Meet Uranus’s Newly Discovered Moon, One So Small That You Could Walk around It Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have spotted a moon nestled near Uranus’s rings that’s so small you could walk around it

Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, scientists spotted a tiny moon nestled near Uranus’s rings. Excited to see what the IAU names it!

Some stories I've worked on @sciam.bsky.social the last few weeks!

An image of someone's hand grasping the June 2022 issue of Scientific American. The cover art features an illustration of two rodent-like mammals sitting on top of plants. Behind the image are pinkish purple flowers in the bottom half and tree leaves in the top half.

Happy 180th @sciam.bsky.social 🥳 #SciAmInTheWild

mRNA Vaccines Are a Game-Changer—Here’s Why Speed and flexibility have made mRNA a blockbuster technology

mRNA Vaccine Tech Could Transform Medicine and Cure Diseases. RFK, Jr. Just Pulled Its Funding.

The Law That Saved the Whales Is Under Attack Proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act would cut down protections to whales, dolphins, polar bears and other species

Proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act would cut down protections to whales, dolphins, polar bears and other species

Billions of Starfish Have Disintegrated—and Scientists Finally Know Why A devastating bacterium has decimated populations of sunflower sea stars, predators that play a crucial role in their environment

Spoke with @rhizalyssa.bsky.social and Melanie Prentice about their investigation into what was causing billions of sea stars to disintegrate to death. The culprit: a bacterium by the name of Vibrio pectenicida. Read more about their work here:

For 180 years, Scientific American covers have invited readers on voyages of discovery—from deep oceans to distant galaxies. Now it’s your turn! Capture your own moment of exploration with our photo challenge.

Terms & Conditions apply. See official rules: sciam.com/180contest #SciAmInTheWild

aww! don’t know where I’d be without your support and guidance!

Tsunami Warnings Issued after Magnitude-8.7 Earthquake off the Coast of Russia Tsunami warnings and advisories were issues around the Pacific Ocean after a magnitude-8.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, the largest earthquake since the 2011 Japan earthquake and resulti...

Good morning! Here's what you need to know about the Russia earthquake and tsunami risk: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/tsun...

The Surprising Math and Physics behind the 2026 World Cup Soccer Ball Here’s how the new tetrahedron-based design for the “Trionda” soccer ball may affect next year’s big game

ok i am aggressively not a sports person, but this story by @dodecalemma.bsky.social is so cool! and the graphics were fun to work on :) www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Math Is Quietly in Crisis over NSF Funding Cuts A 72 percent reduction in federal funding is devastating to math research. The American Mathematical Society is offering $1 million in backstop grants—but it’s likely not enough.

Math is in crisis. The NSF claims the over $80M in cuts is due to "changing priorities" but when asked how math fits to their new priorities they said it is "required to advance future discoveries in every critical technology area." What gives??? www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...

wonderfully edited by my namesake @andreatweather.bsky.social!

Did You Know Earth’s Poles Wander? Blame Dams When large masses of water are moved from one place to another, this changes the shape of Earth and leads to a phenomenon called true polar wander

My first story for @sciam.bsky.social eeee.

And such a fascinating phenomenon: ~true polar wander~.

Read more about what's causing Earth's poles to wander here: www.scientificamerican.com/article/eart...

YouTube video by Scientific American What is Scientific American?

We finally made it to Bluesky—just a few billion years after the Big Bang, and only slightly late to the party ✨🌌

We’re sharing some of our best stories from the year so far to kick off our Bluesky journey!

A child who got CAR-T cancer therapy is still disease-free 18 years later The long-term survival of a patient with neuroblastoma suggests the personalized cancer treatment may work for solid tumors, not just blood cancers.

@andreatamayo.bsky.social and I dug into the numbers to give context to the headlines about an 18-year survivor of CAR-T cell therapy for neuroblastoma. Story in @sciencenews.bsky.social : www.sciencenews.org/article/car-... #medsky

Could the magic of memory manipulation ever become real? Someday, technology might be able to help people better hold onto memories or forget bad ones.

In fiction, memories can be wiped, altered and implanted at the snap of a finger.

In my new story for Science News Explores, I ask neuroscientists about treatments that strengthen and weaken memories, and how they go about doing this.

(link: www.snexplores.org/article/memo...)

A new book chronicles the science of life in the air Carl Zimmer’s Air-Borne recounts centuries of aerobiology’s greatest moments and mistakes.

It was an immense pleasure to read and review @carlzimmer.com's new book, Air-borne, for Science News: Check out the review here: www.sciencenews.org/article/book...

What Is Entropy? A Measure of Just How Little We Really Know. | Quanta Magazine Exactly 200 years ago, a French engineer introduced an idea that would quantify the universe’s inexorable slide into decay. But entropy, as it’s currently understood, is less a fact about the world th...

i spent most of this year studying (confronting) disorder, futility, and uncertainty. here’s my optimistic interactive essay on the decay of everything:

www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-entr...

22 Public Health Accomplishments in 2024!

I couldn’t be more proud to be in public health. We continue to accomplish so much with so little, and the work is often invisible.

Here’s to 2025. Happy New Year!

For a deeper dive, go here: lnkd.in/gG8hB-Jd

Telehealth helps people get health care, but access may soon be in limbo COVID-era telehealth laws made health care more accessible for rural patients, but telehealth might not be as easy to access next year.

Telehealth flexibilities might expire at the end of this year. My colleague Sophie and I spoke with healthcare providers, researchers and legislators to understand what’s at stake.

www.sciencenews.org/article/tele...

These scientific feats set new records in 2024 Noteworthy findings include jumbo black hole jets, an ultrapetite frog, ancient asteroid remnants and more.

2024 was studded with record-setting scientific discoveries. From tracing the origins of glow-in-the-dark animals to developing the world’s fastest microscope, these superlative feats captured our imagination.

Some tadpoles don’t poop for weeks. That keeps their pools clean Eiffinger’s tree frog babies store their solid waste in an intestinal pouch, releasing less ammonia into their watery cribs than other frog species.

3/ these tiny tadpoles have a secret sanitation strategy — self-induced constipation.

www.sciencenews.org/article/tree...

Doula care may lead to fewer C-sections or preterm births A new study comparing the health outcomes of Medicaid patients with and without a doula suggests the extra support during pregnancy may be beneficial.

2/ doulas support the non-medical needs of expecting parents. and a study found, they may even lower the risk of c-sections and preterm births.

www.sciencenews.org/article/doul...

Cervical cancer deaths are plummeting among young U.S. women A new study shows a steep drop in cervical cancer deaths among the first cohort of women who were eligible for the HPV vaccine.

1/ the first HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006. nearly 16 years later, cervical cancer death rates are dramatically declining among young US women.

www.sciencenews.org/article/cerv...

the curtains are closing in, as I start the last week of my short stint with @sciencenews.bsky.social. i’ve reveled in the mentorship and community that’s supported me these last 10 weeks. here’s a🧵of some of my favorite stories, with a few more TK:

Cervical cancer deaths are plummeting among young U.S. women A new study shows a steep drop in cervical cancer deaths among the first cohort of women who were eligible for the HPV vaccine.

A new study is the first to show a steep decline in cervical cancer deaths among the first women who were eligible for the HPV vaccine in the United States.