Wudan Yan

Wudan Yan (@wudanyan) is a freelance science journalist based in Seattle, Washington. After studying biochemistry at Brown University and spending over six years doing cancer biology research, she is now using her scientific training to tell stories about science. She has traveled to the sewers of Boston, refugee health clinics at the Thai-Myanmar border, and the disappearing mangroves in Myanmar. Her work has appeared in The Daily Beast, Discover, Matter, Nature Medicine, The Scientist, The Washington Post, among others.

Octopus vulgaris.

Plants & Animals

Consider the Octopus

Are octopuses as solitary and introverted as we previously imagined?

Charles Darwin

Plants & Animals

Charles Darwin Was One Sick Dude

Charles Darwin was able to pursue his life's work despite suffering from a variety of ailments the doctors could never explain.

Difficult choice between reason and passion.

Is There a Part of the Brain That Correlates To Feelings of Love?

Studying the anterior insula, a prune-sized region tucked away at the base of the brain, may provide interesting clues.

Antibodies attacking a virus.

Could There Be a ‘Silver Bullet’ Therapy for Ebola?

Monoclonal antibodies may be the key to treating the deadly Ebola virus.

Compost Heap

Science & Technology

Should You Compost?

The science is clear: composting organic waste is good for the environment.

Rings of a tree

Science & Technology

What Tree Rings Tell Us About the Climate

Tree rings provide scientists with helpful clues regarding the planet's climate patterns, past and present.

Scientists collecting sewage sample

Science & Technology

The Promise of Sewage

Sewage might be the key in tracking diseases.

Mahogany Valley near Borah Peak Idaho

Plants & Animals

Can Soil Microbes Help End World Hunger?

Bacteria and genetic research - including soil microbes - may fuel the future of agriculture

A close-up of a finger prick diabetes test

Stem Cells Offer Hope for Treating Type I Diabetes

Douglas Melton’s stem cell lab at Harvard published a landmark study in Cell documenting a huge step towards treating Type I Diabetes

Editors' Picks

Doing Math with Intellectual Humility

Math class is an opportunity to teach students both how to use conjecture to arrive at knowledge and how to learn from the logic of peers.

Willie Mae Thornton Deserves Your Full Attention

In a meditative new biography, DJ and scholar Lynnée Denise examines the mysteries and trials in the life of the legendary performer.

Politics & History

The Fourteenth Amendment: Annotated

Adopted in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution addresses citizenship rights, due process, and equal protection under the law.

Education & Society

Class Production

A collection of high school yearbooks from Cleveland captures the rise, fall, and uncertain future of the American middle class.

Education & Society

Intellectual Humility: Foundations and Key Concepts

Research about intellectual humility has exploded in the past decade. Psychologist Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso offers an annotated bibliography of key texts.