Katherine J. Wu
She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from Harvard University. Before joining The Atlantic in 2021, she was a science and health reporter for The New York Times focused on COVID-19. She won a Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication in 2022, a Science in Society journalism award in 2021, and the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists in 2020. At The Atlantic, she covers science.
Eagles Are Falling, Bears Are Going Blind
Bird flu is already a tragedy.
-
![]()
Leon Neal / Getty Fall’s COVID Shots May Be Different in One Key Way
This year’s might include XBB.1 and … perhaps no other strain.
-
![]()
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: … There Is No Evidence Strong Enough to End the Pandemic-Origins Debate
The recent fight over wet-market raccoon dogs underscores just how much prior beliefs can affect interpretation.
-
![]()
Getty Eating Fast Is Bad for You—Right?
The widespread advice to go slow is neither definitive nor universal.
-
![]()
Aaron Graubart / Trunk Archive American Food Will Never Look Natural Again
Health concerns keep shrinking the roster of approved artificial dyes. But Americans still can’t seem to go cold turkey on ultra-colorful foods.
-
![]()
Getty Your Next Mosquito Repellent Might Already Be in Your Shower
A small study has found that certain soaps can make people less attractive to mosquitoes, but it probably won’t work for everyone.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Sergii Iaremenko / … 23 Pandemic Decisions That Actually Went Right
A lot went wrong with COVID, but the responses that worked could help guide us in future pandemics.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Only the Emergency Has Ended
The pandemic and the need to respond remain.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty A Vaccine for Birth Control?
In its ideal form, a contraceptive vaccine could prevent pregnancy without the messy side effects of some hormonal birth control.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Marcos del Mazo … Will COVID’s Spring Lull Last?
Things look calm right now. They may even stay that way—but we won’t know for sure for a good long while.
-
![]()
Rachel Holser Meet the World’s Most Hard-Core Nappers
Elephant seals survive on only two hours of sleep. Why can’t we?
-
![]()
Vadym Plysiuk / Getty Do Not Allow Even One Fruit Fly Into Your Kitchen Compost
Collecting food scraps in your kitchen can invite insect invaders. But there are plenty of ways to outsmart them.
-
![]()
Paul Spella / The Atlantic; Wikimedia A History of Humanity in Which Humans Are Secondary
A new book tells the story of our past from the perspective of the bugs that have shaped it.
-
![]()
Daniel Zender / The Atlantic; Getty Medicine Has a Rat Problem
It’s stranger than you think.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Science History Images … The Flu May Never Be the Same
Scientists haven’t spotted one of influenza’s most mysterious lineages for more than three years. Is it truly gone?
-
![]()
Illustration by Paul Spella; Getty One More Reason to Hate Cockroaches
The insects’ sweet tooth should have made them easy to kill. But they outsmarted us with warp-speed evolution.
-
![]()
Ford A Classic American Car Is Having an Identity Crisis
Ford’s electric Mustang, the Mach-E, is attracting an unusual bunch of drivers—including me.
-
![]()
Corbis / Getty Tattoos Do Odd Things to the Immune System
When you stick ink-filled needles into your skin, your body’s defenders respond accordingly. Scientists aren’t sure if that’s good or bad for you.
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty A Major Clue to COVID’s Origins Is Just Out of Reach
A key set of data could shore up the case for a purely animal origin. So why aren’t scientists sharing it?
-
![]()
Alphotographic / Getty The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic
A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the pandemic’s origin to raccoon dogs.
-
![]()
Sean Gallup / Getty The Next Stage of COVID Is Starting Now
What happens when everyone first gets immunity to the coronavirus as a very young kid?
