An Up-Close, Personal Look at the DOGE-ing of Science
My 2025 was defined by watching friends and colleagues lose jobs and coworkers. (Read to the end for Kristen Koopman’s favorite reads of 2026 and also some...
The Irony of Feeling Healthier in Germany While Reporting on Why People Are Healthier There
I began recovering from chronic health issues while on a fellowship to study Germany’s health care. (Read to the end for the most epic cheese competition...
The Context Cut for Space
The details that I couldn’t include in my recent NPR story on poverty and power bills. (Read to the end for Kristen Koopman's Halloween-themed reads as well...
Summer Backbreak
Working parents and moving academics burn out. But Kristen and I are back, baby, with great news. (Read to the end for a spicy yogurt mistake...) The most...
Longing for Beloved Scientific Community
Reflections on why maintaining a robust community of scholars is so hard. (Read to the end for a ridiculous emo realtor. Bock bock.) Ever since I published...
How HBCUs Can End African American Underrepresentation in Science
A Q&A with Dr. Joseph Graves, Jr., on the effort to make historically Black colleges and universities “wither on the vine.” (Read to the end for Juneteenth-...
Welcome to The Understory
A Newsletter About the Stories Beneath the Science (Read to the end for a very relatable heron.) The media universe is replete with science coverage, but...