Carolyn Wilke

Former Staff Writer, Science News for Students

Carolyn Wilke earned her Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Northwestern University, where her research drew on the fields of environmental chemistry, materials science and toxicology. She got her start in science writing by blogging for HELIX, Northwestern’s science magazine and wrote as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at The Sacramento Bee. Now a freelance science writer. Carolyn worked as a staff writer at Science News for Students and interned at Science News and The Scientist. When not delving into a new scientific discovery, you might find Carolyn behind her sewing machine or trying to amuse her cat. 

All Stories by Carolyn Wilke

  1. Fossils

    Saber-toothed anchovy relatives were once fearsome hunters

    Today’s plankton-eating anchovies sport tiny teeth. But their ancient kin were armed with spiky lower teeth and a giant upper sabertooth.

  2. Space

    Scientists Say: Spaghettification

    Black holes cram a lot of mass into a small area. When another object gets close, the black hole’s gravity can stretch it into a noodle-like strand.

  3. Chemistry

    This tube worm’s glowing slime may help sustain its own shine

    Snot oozed by a marine tube worm can glow for up to 3 full days. The secret of how this works might lead to long-lasting lights that glow on and on.

  4. Life

    Scientists Say: Protein

    Proteins are molecules made up of building blocks called amino acids. They play many key roles in the body’s cells and are essential for life.

  5. Chemistry

    Ancient recipes helped scientists resurrect a long-lost blue hue

    Led by medieval texts, scientists hunted down a plant and used its fruit to make a blue watercolor with mysterious origins.

  6. Physics

    Scientists Say: Momentum

    This word describes a property of a moving object based on its mass and the direction and speed of its motion.

  7. Space

    Scientists Say: Quasar

    This word describes the bright-shining core of a galaxy in which a supermassive black hole sucks in matter and releases a huge amount of energy.

  8. Animals

    Minecraft’s big bees don’t exist, but giant insects once did

    Big bees buzz in Minecraft. In our world, blocky bees might starve and be stuck on the ground. Yet long ago, giant insects did roam our planet.

  9. Climb like a slo-mo Spiderman using this super suction robot

    A whooshing ring of water keeps the robot’s vacuum from losing grip, even on rough surfaces

  10. Microbes

    Scientists Say: Amoeba

    Amoebas are single-celled microbes that move and eat with shape-shifting bulges that extend from their cells. Some are blobs. Others build a shell.

  11. Materials Science

    This ‘living’ concrete slurps up a greenhouse gas

    Microbes help harden a mix of sand and gelatin into a living concrete that could interact with people and the environment in great new ways.

  12. Earth

    Scientists Say: Jurassic

    During this time from about 200 million to 145 million years ago, dinosaurs reigned and many animals evolved, including birds and some early mammals.