Writing
Articles
ASBMB Today: “A Paleolithic Peer Review,” 4/18/2024
Discover: “A Rare Disorder Causes People to See Demon-Like Faces,” 4/10/2024
PLOS SciComm: “Talking Trash for Ten Years: Interview with Children’s Author Patricia Newman,” 3/37/2024
The Conversation: “Fan of black licorice? Beware of its dark side − it can be dangerous for your health,” (updated); 3/22/2024
Reprinted at Discover.
PLOS SciComm: “What “12 Angry Men” Teaches Us about the Art of Persuasion,” 3/11/2024
Psychology Today: “You Don’t Need a Lot of Money to Lead a Rich Life,” 2/28/2024
Psychology Today: “Social Media Creates Unhappiness by Promoting Materialism,” 2/5/2024
Discover: “Can Cats Increase the Odds of Developing Schizophrenia?,” 1/2/2024
2023
The Conversation: “Insulin injections could one day be replaced with rock music − new research in mice,” 11/14/2023
The Conversation: “Flesh-eating bacteria infections are on the rise in the US − a microbiologist explains how to protect yourself,” 9/25/2023
Featured on CBS News; Scientific American; Fortune
The Conversation: “Is the gruesome fun in Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ realistic? What science says about getting eaten by piranhas and poisoned by nightshade,” 2/6/2023
ASBMB Today: “Beyond the Science: What else should a PI teach a rotating graduate student?” 1/3/2023
2022
Psychology Today: “Happiness Is Not a Destination; It Is the Road Trip,” 12/6/2022
Psychology Today: “What Genes Tell Us About Ourselves (and What They Don’t),” 9/12/2022
Discover: “5 Unexpected Ways Coffee Influences our Behavior,” 7/6/2022
Psychology Today: “Souls: It’s Time We Give Up the Ghost,” 6/30/2022
Science: “Rethinking Genetic Disease: Review of THE CARRIERS by Anne Skomorowsky,” 5/12/2022
The Conversation: “Guns, Not Roses – Here’s the True Story of Penicillin’s First Patient,” 3/11/2022
The Scientist: “How to Confront Anti-Science Sentiment,” 3/1/2022
Psychology Today: “The Case for Removing Competition From Youth Sports,” 2/23/2022
ASBMB Today: “What Goes Into A Tenure Review Letter,” 2/4/2022
Psychology Today: “How To Spot Fake Health News,” 2/2/2022
Psychology Today: “Ancient Wisdom for the Stresses of Modern Life,” 1/4/2022
2021
Medium: “Cobra Kai Rock: Six Obscure ’80s Anthems that Should Be on Johnny Lawrence’s Playlist,” 12/13/2021
Discover: “Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: What They Are and How Scientists Are Combating Them,” 11/3/2021
Actively Learn: “The Spooky and Dangerous Side of Black Licorice,” 10/29/2021
ASBMB Today: “How To Write A Killer Abstract In 10 Sentences,” 9/22/2021
Elemental: “Opting Out of the Covid-19 Vaccine Puts the World at Risk,” 8/2/2021
GEN: “The Dumbbell Effect of Political Polarization,” 7/29/2021
ASBMB Today: “What To Ask During Your Faculty Interview,” 7/21/2021
PLOS SciComm: “Dissecting the Popular Science Book: What Do Fans Want?“, 7/21/2021
The Scientist: “We Should Ditch Awards in Science,” 7/8/2021
IndyStar: “Uncertainty is an unexpected source of freedom,” 7/6/2021 (scroll to the bottom of page)
Trends: “Making It Personal: Science Communication for the Masses,” 6/16/2021 (with Peter Hotez and Steffanie Strathdee)
National Geographic: “Can COVID-19 Lead to Diabetes? Here’s What You Need to Know,” 6/10/2021
Psychology Today: “When You Feel Overwhelmed, Subtraction Can Lead To Gains,” 6/9/2021
Discover: “When Lice Becomes Deadly,” 6/5/2021
National Geographic: “Could a Distaste for Broccoli Indicate Greater Resistance to COVID-19?“, 5/29/2021
PLOS SciComm: “Turning Terror into a Scientific Memoir: Interview with Steffanie Strathdee, author of The Perfect Predator,” 5/19/2021
National Geographic: “Microbes in Your Gut May Be New Recruits in the Fight Against Viruses,” 4/13/21
The Conversation: “Of Microbes and Mothers – Certain Gut Bacteria in Mice Can Disrupt the Mother-child Relationship,” 2/8/2021
Discover: “Beyond the Laughs, ‘The Office’ Delivers Some Hard Science. But How Does It Hold Up?“, 1/9/2021
Psychology Today: “Manage the Stress of COVID-19 with Stoicism,” 1/5/2021
2020
Medium: “Why It Is Appropriate to Address Someone with a Ph.D. as Doctor,” 12/13/20
The Conversation: “The Spooky and Dangerous Side of Black Licorice,” 10/26/20
Medium: “How Jimmy Carter Saved Millions of Lives,” 10/1/20
ASBMB Today: “Grant-writing Tips for Beginners,” 6/25/20
Psychology Today: “Divided We Fall: How to Mend Political Differences,” 6/16/20
Medium: “Dumbbell America: Divided We Fall,” 6/15/20
The Washington Post: “Seinfeld, Science, and Yada, Yada, Yada,” 6/15/20
(Originally appeared in The Conversation: “Science of Seinfeld,” 6/5/20)
Elemental: “Everyone on ‘Tiger King’ Is Bonkers. Is A Parasite To Blame?“, 4/8/20 (Editor’s Pick)
Psychology Today: “Can “Tiger King” Madness Be Explained by A “Cat” Parasite?“, 4/2/20
ASBMB Today: “Why Scientists Are Studying if Chloroquine Could Treat Coronavirus,” 3/29/20
Elemental: “Why Scientists Are Optimistic That Chloroquine Could Treat Coronavirus,” 3/23/20 (Editor’s Pick)
Medium: “Can an Old Drug Used to Fight Malaria Save Us From Coronavirus and COVID-19?“, 3/18/20
Medium: “Coronavirus COVID-19: Don’t Be An Idiot,” 3/11/20
ASBMB Today: “What Can Your Ombuds Office Do For You?“, 3/9/20
Medium: “Marching Forward: Finding Meaning to Life in the Face of Death” (with Adam Hayden), 3/7/20
Psychology Today: “Here’s Why You Should Stop Searching for a Soul Mate,” 2/4/20
IUPUI Health & Wellness (Interview): “How A Warmer Winter Can Affect Your Health,” 1/23/20
Psychology Today: “The Truth about Lying and What It Does to the Body,” 1/6/20
2019
COSMOS: “Star Wars Midi-chlorians, Here on Earth!” Issue no. 85 (print only), 12/19
Read it here.
Psychology Today: “Break All Your Bad Habits with This One Good Habit,” 11/19/19
Curious Kids (The Conversation): “Why Do Feet Stink at the End of the Day?“, 11/4/19
One of the top 5 articles of 2019.
Psychology Today: “Have No Fear: Halloween Monsters Provide A Teachable Moment,” 10/23/19
Discover: “Gene’s Addiction, or Why Ozzy Osbourne Is Still Alive,” 10/10/19
The Conversation: “Gut Microbes Can Get You Drunk and Damage Your Liver,” 9/30/19
Psychology Today: “Culturomics: Using Big Data to Study Human Behavior,” 9/19/19
The Conversation: “Why Bill Maher Is Wrong About Fat-shaming,” 9/17/19
IU Research Update: “Flesh-eating bacteria,” 9/9/19
The Conversation: “Stop Calling It A Choice: Biological Factors Drive Homosexuality,” 9/3/19
The Scientist: “Can Genetics Explain Human Behavior?“, 9/1/19
Frolic: “Take This Quiz to Find Out the Hidden Forces that Make You…You,” 8/29/19
PLOS SciComm: “Want to Write a Popular Science Book? Here’s What You Need to Know,” 8/27/19
Psychology Today: “Why Do We Love The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper?“, 8/20/19
National Geographic: “Why We Like What We Like: A Scientist’s Surprising Findings,” 8/6/19
The Conversation: “Why the Brain-Eating Amoeba Found in Freshwater Lakes – While Rare – Is So Deadly,” 8/1/19
Psychology Today: “Dear Dr. Melfi: Regarding Your Patient, Mr. Tony Soprano…“, 7/8/19
The Conversation: “Is the Brain Parasite Toxoplasma Manipulating Your Behavior, or is Your Immune System to Blame?”, 5/14/19
PLOS SciComm: “Yes, I’m A Scientist on Twitter. Stop Judging Me,” 2/27/19
PLOS SciComm: “Predatory Publishers Want To Write Your Autobiography!”, 2/11/19
2013-2018
A Science Enthusiast: “A Scientist Reviews Products in the ‘Sharper Image’ Catalog, Hilarity Ensues,” 12/19/18
PLOS SciComm: “Is It Time for Pre-Publication Peer Review to Die?”, 8/28/18
COSMOS: “If Parasites Had Dating Profiles,” 7/20/18 (originally appeared in THE ‘SCOPE 7/18/18)
ASBMB Today: “How to Serve up a Killer Research Seminar,” 5/15/18
PLOS SciComm: “If the Script for Avengers: Infinity War Was Peer-Reviewed,” 5/10/18 (reprinted in COSMOS)
PLOS SciComm: “If the Script for Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Peer-Reviewed,” 3/13/18 (reprinted in COSMOS)
PLOS SciComm: “Barking Up the Right Tree: Scientist and Author Daniel Chamovitz Talks to PLOS About Science Communication,” 1/9/18
IUSM Research Updates: “Depriving Parasites of Their Shelter from the Storm,” 12/13/17
PLOS SciComm: “Blogs, Videos, Newspapers, Books: PLOS SciComm Talks to Aaron Carroll About Health Communication,” 11/6/17
PLOS SciComm: “To Catch A Predatory Publisher,” 10/4/17
PLOS SciComm: “An Appetite for Science Communication: Author Traci Mann Talks to PLOS,” 9/27/17
PLOS SciComm: “Science Writer Nathalia Holt Talks to PLOS About Rocket Girls, Silly Questions, and Trading Pipet for Pen,” 9/5/17
IUSM Research Updates: “Don’t Let Toxoplasma Rain on your Summer Fun,” 7/16/17
PLOS SciComm: “Awkward to Awesome: Dr. Ty Tashiro on Communicating the Science of Being Awkward,” 7/12/17
IUSM Research Updates: “Repurposing Drugs to Fight Deadly Infections,” 4/3/17
DumbLittleMan.com: “Is My Cat Going To Drive Me Crazy?”, 3/2/2017
Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine: “Unbreak My Heart: A Short History of the Defibrillator and CPR,” 21(3), 2016
WhatIsEpigenetics.com: “Epigenetics: Feeding the Obesity and Diabetes Epidemic?”, 5/21/2016,
GotScience.org: “Malaria Drugs: From Herb Garden to Medicine Cabinet,” 5/12/16
GotScience.org: “Living On Nothing but Coffee,” 3/9/2016
WhatIsEpigenetics.com: “Can an Infection Alter Your Epigenome?”, 5/5/2015
Salon.com: “The Parasite Made Me Do It,” 3/27/15
Scientific American MIND: “Played by a Parasite,” 3/1/2015. This article also appeared in Salon.com (see above), Scientific American (“Dogs & Cats” special edition issue, 9/1/2015 and 9/1/2018), and in Gehirn und Geist (Germany).
ASBMB Today: “The Road to Professor,” June/July 2014
ThePostdocWay: “Taming the Wild West: Social Media for Scientists,” 1/6/14
ASBMB Today: “How To Write a Killer Cover Letter for a Postdoctoral Application,” 10/1/13