Jonathan Lambert

Staff Writer, Biological Sciences, 2019-2021

Jonathan Lambert was a staff writer covering biological sciences at Science News from 2019 to 2021. He earned a master’s degree from Cornell University studying how a bizarre day-long mating ritual helped accelerate speciation in a group of Hawaiian crickets. A summer at the Dallas Morning News as a AAAS Mass Media fellow sparked a pivot from biologist to science journalist. He previously wrote for Quanta Magazine, NPR, and Nature News.

All Stories by Jonathan Lambert

  1. Animals

    Squirrels use parkour tricks when leaping from branch to branch

    Squirrels navigate through trees by making rapid calculations to balance trade-offs between branch flexibility and the distance between tree limbs.

  2. Health & Medicine

    New delta variant studies show the pandemic is far from over

    The coronavirus’s delta variant is different from earlier strains of the virus in worrying ways, health officials are discovering.

  3. Life

    ‘Wild Souls’ explores what we owe animals in a human-dominated world

    The new book Wild Souls explores the ethical dilemmas of saving Earth’s endangered animals.

  4. Life

    Pikas survive winter using a slower metabolism and, at times, yak poop

    Pikas endure bone-chilling temperatures on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau by reducing their metabolism, and when possible, eating yak poop.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Human cells make a soaplike substance that busts up bacteria

    Nonimmune cells can fight off pathogens by releasing a detergent-like molecule that dissolves bacterial membranes.

  6. Earth

    Mixing trees and crops can help both farmers and the climate

    Agriculture is a major driver of climate change and biodiversity loss. But integrating trees into farming practices can boost food production, store carbon and save species.

  7. Animals

    Froghoppers are the super-suckers of the animal world

    To feed on plant xylem sap, a nutrient-poor liquid locked away under negative pressure, froghoppers have to suck harder than any known creature.

  8. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists found a virus lurking in human cancer cells

    In 1971, scientists were building a case for viruses as a cause of cancer. Fifty years later, cancer-preventing vaccines are now a reality.

  9. Health & Medicine

    How one medical team is bringing COVID-19 vaccines to hard-to-reach Hispanic communities

    Unidos Contra COVID’s Spanish-speaking volunteers go to where Philadelphia’s Hispanic people gather, giving shots and addressing concerns one-on-one.

  10. Animals

    The mere sight of illness may kick-start a canary’s immune system

    Healthy canaries ramp up their immune systems when exposed to visibly sick birds, without actually being infected themselves.

  11. Climate

    ‘Zombie’ forest fires may become more common with climate change

    Wildfires that survive winter underground can flare up after warm summers and account for more than one-third of the scorched ground in some regions.

  12. Health & Medicine

    As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we answer 7 lingering vaccine questions

    As U.S. vaccination efforts shift to get shots to the hard-to-reach, we take a look at some big questions about vaccines that still remain.