Janet Raloff

Washington, D.C.

Senior Editor at Science News

I'm a long-time reader/writer/editor of Science News and Science News for Students--in Washington, DC

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Articles

More and more, microplastics are collecting in human brains

1 month ago | snexplores.org | Laura Sanders |Janet Raloff

average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group. blood-brain barrier: A barrier of tightly packed cells that carefully regulate what molecules can — and can’t — enter the brain. The barrier protects the brain from foreign substances in the blood and helps to maintain a constant environment for brain cells.
In 2024, bird flu posed big risks - and to far more than birds

Oct 10, 2024 | snexplores.org | Tina Saey |Janet Raloff |Lindsey Konkel Neabore |Carolyn Wilke

News reports of bird flu striking huge flocks of birds — including farmed poultry — have been ongoing for more than two years. Still, “most people have no idea that we are in the middle of a wildlife emergency — an animal pandemic,” says Michelle Wille. A viral ecologist, she works at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia. She’s been studying bird flu. And the current panzootic — the animal equivalent to a human pandemic — is “very concerning,” she says.
A protein in sweat may protect people from Lyme disease

May 19, 2024 | snexplores.org | Leah Rosenbaum |Janet Raloff |Stephen Ornes

bacteria: (singular: bacterium) Single-celled organisms. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth. cell: (in biology) The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Typically too small to see with the unaided eye, it consists of a watery fluid surrounded by a membrane or wall.