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Kate Horowitz

Kate Horowitz is a science writer. She writes about pretty much everything, but especially likes to bring readers' attention to squishy, underrated organisms; chronic illness and disability; bodily functions; animal cognition; parasites; and the Moon. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she takes lots of walks and ogles other people's dogs.
Japanese Bears are Moving (and Conserving) Cherry Trees with Poop
The trees are migrating up the mountain with help from the bears that eat their fruit.... READ ON
See Earth’s Beauty and Troubles from Space in ‘A Beautiful Planet’
The IMAX film, narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, was filmed by astronauts on the International Space Station.... READ ON
Mouse Cells Become First Mammal Embryos Successfully Grown in Space
Mouse cells riding aboard the science satellite SJ-10 reached the blastocyst stage last week.... READ ON
Level Up Your Snack Game with Glass Potato Chips
They look sophisticated (and possibly dangerous), but they’re surprisingly easy to make.... READ ON
Space Travel Causes Liver Damage in Mice
Even a short trip aboard the space shuttle was enough to induce liver disease.... READ ON
The Club for Failures
The Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain celebrated the quiet glory of incompetence.... READ ON
These Baby Dinosaurs Were Born With Adult-Like Proportions
Fossils from a baby Rapetosaurus krausei suggest the titanosaur would stay the same shape throughout its life, even as it grew to the size of a bus.... READ ON
The Sharp Science of Animal Strikes
Some of the fastest strikes in nature are made by the smallest creatures.... READ ON
Why Is It So Hard to Sleep in a New Place?
Like certain animals in the wild, subconscious vigilance might be at play.... READ ON
Stung by a Jelly? Get Yourself in Hot Water
Scientists say heat, not cold (or urine) is the best first aid for a sting.... READ ON
The Right Bacteria Can Turn Off a Sweet Tooth
Mice dosed with a tiny bit of detoxified E. coli lost their taste for sweets for a week.... READ ON
This Video Explains the Chemistry of Snake Venom
Now with bonus snakebite prevention tip!... READ ON
Exploring the Psychology of Why Astronauts Feel Awe
Psychologists are attempting to pin down the precise components of the so-called overview effect.... READ ON
How a 700-Pound Elk Shrieks Like a Ringwraith
Researchers have determined that male elk whistle through their throats to produce their signature high-pitched calls.... READ ON
Educators: Win Free Wildflower Seed Bombs for Your Class
Seedles is giving away 100 “Classroom Superhero” kits to help spread the word about the plight of our bees.... READ ON
Ring-Tailed Lemurs Use Perfume as a Weapon
Male lemurs concoct their own blends, then compete with others to see who’s smelliest.... READ ON
Are Cold Mice Skewing Cancer Study Results?
Being cold depletes an animal’s energy reserves and immune system.... READ ON
Breast Milk: The Swiss Army Knife of Bodily Fluids
It’s so much more than baby food.... READ ON
Divers Find 400-Year-Old Silk Dress in Dutch Shipwreck
The impressively well-preserved silk damask gown may have belonged to a member of the royal Stuart family.... READ ON
Traveling? Protect Yourself from Hotel Bedbugs With These Tricks
Here's what you can do to keep the little bloodsuckers from following you home.... READ ON
Stuttering in Mice Supports Genetic Theory of Human Speech Disorder
Mouse pups carrying a mutated Gnptab gene were prone to stammering and repetition of sounds in their calls.... READ ON
Parasitic Worms May Keep Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Bay
Helminth infection changes the balance of bacteria in a person’s gut, overpowering the bacteria that cause IBD.... READ ON
These Centuries-Old Maps Were Meant to Be Read By Touch
Wooden maps of Greenland’s shores and islands allowed native Greenlanders to follow the coast’s contours with their fingertips.... READ ON
15 Unique Facts About Fingerprints
Or, why we can’t trust koalas.... READ ON
Desert Ants’ Shiny Silver Hair Keeps Them Cool
Saharan silver ants can withstand blistering temperatures thanks to their super shiny hair.... READ ON
These Frogs Have Developed a Resistance to Killer Fungus
Some populations of lowland leopard frogs in Arizona have gene variants that protect them from a deadly fungal disease.... READ ON
Living Near Green Spaces May Increase Women’s Lifespans
A large study of women across the U.S. found that living in neighborhoods with lots of vegetation consistently decreased the risk of death by disease.... READ ON
Is it Possible to Outrun a Fart?
ASAP Science tries to answer this surprisingly complicated question.... READ ON
We Now Know Why Bearcats Smell Like Buttered Popcorn
Binturongs mark their territory with a scent that bears an uncanny resemblance to the aroma of buttered popcorn.... READ ON
Why Scientists Love the Gila Monster
Researchers have started a fundraising campaign to sequence the venomous lizard’s genome.... READ ON
Scientists Identify Cheap, Easy Way for Runners to Prevent Blisters
Applying paper tape reduced ultramarathon runners’ risk of blisters by 74 percent.... READ ON
6 Ways to Get More Out of Your Doctor Appointments
A 10-year study found that doctors’ difficulty communicating with their patients can result in dangerous and expensive errors.... READ ON
SpaceX Made History Again by Landing a Rocket on a Droneship
The rocket stuck a spectacular landing on a floating platform, proving that it can indeed touch down at sea without exploding.... READ ON
New Tree of Life Beautifully Illustrates the Enormous World of Bacteria
An updated version of the familiar diagram reveals the astonishing scope of the hidden world.... READ ON
Study Finds Rare Resistance to Serious Genetic Diseases
Thirteen out of 589,306 healthy people studied carried disease-causing genes but remained unaffected.... READ ON
Do Wasps Sting in Revenge?
They’re likely motivated more by self-defense than vengeance.... READ ON
Meet the Scientist Who Worked as a Snowflake Consultant on 'Frozen'
CalTech physicist Ken Libbrecht has elevated snowflake science to an art.... READ ON
Scientists Need Your Help Looking at Pictures of Penguins
Your time spent staring at adorable penguins could actually contribute to science and conservation.... READ ON
The Best and Worst States for Gender Equality
The study from the McKinsey Global Institute emphasized that fair treatment of women would help, not hinder, the nation’s economy.... READ ON
Even the Scent of Alcohol Can Lower Your Inhibitions
Researchers say people who had sniffed alcohol-soaked pads scored lower on an impulse-control task.... READ ON
Archaeologists Find Tomb Artifacts Linking Nepal to Silk Road
The contents of an ancient tomb in Upper Mustang include beads and textiles only made in India and China.... READ ON
Get to Know the Malayan Tapir (Before It’s Too Late)
Tapirus indicus is stocky, shy, and surprisingly well endowed.... READ ON
U.S. Government (Finally) Makes It Illegal to Sell Tigers Without a Permit
A new ruling closes the loophole that permitted people to keep cross-bred or “generic” tigers as pets.... READ ON
Ancient Horse Poop May ID Site of Hannibal's Passage Over the Alps
Researchers claim they can confirm the location, thanks to the biological evidence the horses left behind.... READ ON
Conservationists Plan to Sneak Electronic Eggs Into Vulture Nests
The fake eggs contain sensors to monitor the vultures’ behavior and environment.... READ ON
To Save Their Species, These Prehistoric Animals Mated Early and Died Young
When the mass extinction began, Lystrosaurus shortened its lifespan—and its mating cycle.... READ ON
Peek Inside a Hydroponic Spinach Farm
The soil-less agriculture technique is both futuristic and strangely quaint.... READ ON
The Difference Between Tylenol, Aspirin, Advil, and Aleve
Like superheroes, each pain reliever has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.... READ ON
Scientists Say Light Colors Make Salmon More Belligerent
Salmon kept in tanks with black backgrounds were four times less aggressive than those in light blue tanks.... READ ON
Scientists Grow Hairy Skin in the Lab
The complex, three-layered skin is an improvement on previous attempts at producing artificial skin.... READ ON
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