Jess Thomson
Science Reporter
Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. She has covered weird animal behavior, space news and the impacts of climate change extensively. Jess joined Newsweek in May 2022 and previously worked at Springer Nature. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford. Languages: English.
You can get in touch with Jess by emailing j.thomson@newsweek.com.
"Planet Nine" hypothesis gets new boost
"I think it is very unlikely that P9 does not exist. There are currently no other explanations for the effects that we see," researcher Michael Brown said.
Snakes and lizards are locked in an epic evolutionary battle
"Most large varanids or monitor lizards that prey on venomous snakes have inherited neurotoxin resistance," researcher Bryan Fry said.
Study explores growing use of they/them pronouns
"Within the last decade, people have started to use 'they' as a personal pronoun," the researcher Jennifer E. Arnold said.
US map shows "hazard zones" for rising sea levels, tsunamis
"Sea level rises will create a profound shift in coastal flooding over the next 30 years," says NOAA.
Nightmarish "spider" phenomenon revealed in photos of Mars
The "spiders" are actually caused by frozen CO₂ melting into gas and bursting out from below the frozen surface of the Red Planet.
Man "staggered" as lost card found on Antarctic seafloor 2,400 miles away
The card remained with NIWA for eight more years after its discovery until they finally tracked McCaw down.
Dead dolphin discovered with bullets "lodged" in brain, spinal cord, heart
NOAA is offering a $20,000 reward for information regarding the dolphin's shooting, including the identity of anyone involved.
Chocolate warning as global supply under "real threat"
"Ghana has lost more than 254 million cacao trees in recent years," researcher Benito Chen-Charpentier explained.
Owls started hooting during the solar eclipse as if they were about to hunt
"Along the eclipse path, many people reported hearing barred owls spontaneously vocalizing as if it were dusk," researcher Andrew Farnsworth said.
Texas' ocelot wildcats more widespread than scientists thought
"This is the first time there's been confirmed evidence of an ocelot outside its range," expert Tom deMaar said.
Bats are going through a rare evolutionary phenomenon
"We may think of evolution as very slow process, but it can happen rapidly," researcher Tyrone Lavery said.
Better Planet
Extracting pure gold from electrical trash just got easier
Using fibers, researchers can extract nearly 100 percent of gold from electronic waste, much more than previous methods.
NASA discovers glassy lava lake on Jupiter's moon
NASA's Juno mission has gathered data from Jupiter's third-largest moon Io, revealing details of a lake of lava on its surface.
"Shocking": NASA and Russian satellite crash closer than scientists thought
"Had the two satellites collided, we would have seen significant debris generation," NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said.
Massive mystery explosion detected near galaxy's heart
"We suspected something very interesting was happening, but the data exceeded all our expectations," astrophysicist Barbara Catinella said.
Scientists puzzled by "rule of four" pattern found in most materials
A strange pattern has been discovered underlying the structures of most materials at the molecular level.
Sharks seen "adapting" to different environments for first time
"Sharks are adapting their movements and routines to suit their local environment, rather than behaving the same way everywhere," researcher Oliver Jewell said.
Ferret once thought extinct has been cloned
Noreen and Antonia are clones of a ferret who was captured in the 1980s after the feared-extinct species was rediscovered.
Better Planet
Toxic chemicals in everyday products "enter the human body" via touch
Toxic PBDE chemicals were found to be absorbed into the skin from microplastics rapidly, with sweaty skin absorbing more than dry skin.
Venus is leaking carbon and oxygen—and scientists don't know why
"This is the first time that positively charged carbon ions have been observed escaping from Venus' atmosphere," researcher Lina Hadid said.
Space "sat-nav" maps routes between worlds
"Our new technique neatly reveals all possible routes a spacecraft could take from A to B," researcher Danny Owen said.
"Wildly different" shark that can live for centuries at risk
A mysterious species of shark that lives at depths of up to 6,000 feet is at risk of being overfished.
Paleontologists discover "exceptionally large" fossil snake
This snake's size makes it one of the largest snakes that ever lived, rivaling the size of the enormous Titanoboa.
Students may get lower grades based on their surnames
"It didn't occur to us until we looked at the data and realized that sequence makes a difference," researcher Jun Li said.
Once-in-a-lifetime "devil comet" to be brightest this weekend
12P/Pons-Brooks will be at its closest point to the sun on April 21, and may even be visible to the naked eye.
Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath revealed in satellite image
Images taken from space on April 14 by satellites show the destruction three weeks after the bridge collapsed.
How to watch Lyrids meteor shower light up the night sky this weekend
"The best time to see these is after midnight on a moonless night, with as little light pollution as possible," said astronomer Don Pollacco.
Senior dog owners making healthcare mistake
Dental problems, slowing down on walks, and stiffness can be attributed to a pet growing older, but more serious issues may be the cause.
Water bears' "incredible response" to radiation surprises scientists
"The tardigrades are doing something we hadn't expected," tardigrade researcher Bob Goldstein said.
Astronomers discover galaxy's largest stellar black hole "lurking nearby"
"This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life," researcher Pasquale Panuzzo said.
