Anna Gibbs

Science writing intern, Spring 2022

Anna Gibbs was the spring 2022 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a B.A. in English from Harvard College and a master’s in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University.

All Stories by Anna Gibbs

  1. Archaeology

    This hieroglyph is the oldest known record of the Maya calendar

    Plaster fragments with the markings date to at least 200 B.C. and indicate that the calendar system, still used today, might be centuries older.

  2. Paleontology

    A hole in a Triceratops named Big John probably came from combat

    The nature of the wound and signs of healing suggest that the dinosaur's bony frill was impaled by a Triceratops rival.

  3. Animals

    How scientists found an African bat lost to science for 40 years

    African researchers had been searching for the Hill’s horseshoe bat since 2013. Now, the first recording of its echolocation call may help find more.

  4. Chemistry

    Grainy ice cream is unpleasant. Plant-based nanocrystals might help

    The growth of large ice crystals in ice cream produces a coarse texture. A cellulose nanocrystal stabilizer could help keep the unwelcome iciness away.

  5. Health & Medicine

    School mask mandates in the U.S. reduced coronavirus transmission

    Mandatory masking lowered transmission rates to nearly one-fourth those of schools where masks were optional, data from over 1 million children show.

  6. Genetics

    An extinct rat shows CRISPR’s limits for resurrecting species

    Scientists recovered most of the Christmas Island rat’s genome. But the missing genes signal a problem for using gene editing to de-extinct species.

  7. Paleontology

    Scientists are arguing over the identity of a fossilized 10-armed creature

    An ancient cephalopod fossil may be the oldest ancestor of octopuses, but the interpretation hinges on the identification of one feature.

  8. Life

    Why kitchen sponges are the perfect home for bacteria

    Sponges are remarkably diverse hot spots for bacteria, in part because of the mixed-housing environment that the tools offer their tenants.

  9. shown here, depend on a complex internal structure to help them keep their tails until it’s time to lose them.

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    Animals

    How lizards keep detachable tails from falling off

    A hierarchical structure of micropillars and nanopores allows the tail to break away when necessary while preventing it from easily detaching.

  10. Animals

    Gory footage confirms orca pods can kill adult blue whales

    For the first time, three recorded events show that orcas do hunt and eat blue whales using coordinated attacks that have worked on other large whales.