Kathryn Hulick | Science News for Students

BIO

  • Guest Writer

Kathryn Hulick

Kathryn Hulick

Kathryn Hulick is a freelance writer, editor and former Peace Corps volunteer. After returning home from two years of teaching English in Kyrgyzstan, Hulick decided to pursue writing for kids. She now writes regularly for Science News for Students and Muse magazine. She has also published numerous nonfiction books on topics such as video games, artificial intelligence, energy technology and dinosaurs.

Hulick’s favorite part of writing about science is getting to speak with researchers in many different fields. Once, she spoke with an expert on parallel universes while he was shoveling snow from his driveway. Another time, she called a biologist who was out in the field in Africa, watching a herd of elephants.

In addition to writing, she enjoys hiking, gardening, painting and reading. Hulick lives in Massachusetts with her husband, son and dog.

Kathryn's Content

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stairclimbing ghost

People love scary, spooky stories of spectral phantoms. While there’s no science to support the existence of ghosts, research does provide plenty of explanations for why we might genuinely sense a supernatural presence.

D-Keine/E+/Getty Images

 Culture
The science of ghosts
Here’s what may explain why some people see, hear or feel a spooky presence
a photo of an Ethiopian farmer's hands holding wheat grown in his field against a blue sky

Melese Tsegaye, a farmer in Kulumsa, Ethiopia, holds seed heads taken from stalks of wheat. Wheat is one of many crops that have suffered from disease outbreaks.

Peter Lowe/CIMMYT/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

 Agriculture
As infections ravage food crops, scientists fight back
Everything from chocolate to wheat to citrus fruits are at risk from devastating diseases
an photo of hnds using a smarphone with an illustration of data floating above the screen

“There is no 100-percent-secure software,” says Craig Williams. “It does not exist.” He is one of many cybersecurity experts working to protect people’s data and devices. But everyone should take steps to protect themselves.

PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images

 Computers & Electronics
You can fight back against cyberattacks
Cybersecurity experts protect computer systems — and they want your help
a long exposure of a meteor shower at night

Space dust rains down on Earth all the time. Most of these specks are too small to see. But when one the size of a sand grain hits the atmosphere, it blazes with visible light, becoming a micrometeor, or “shooting star.”

x-reflexnaja/istockphoto

 Space
On the lookout for micro-missiles from space
These smallest of “shooting stars” can damage satellites — or deliver big benefits for science
pulsar dot

This young pulsar — or spinning, ultradense star (large white dot in center right) — is not far outside our Milky Way. Some details of such celestial bodies are not visible. They come only from radio transmissions, which can be masked by Wi-Fi signals on Earth.

NASA/CXC/Univ. of Potsdam/L. Oskinova et al.

 Light & Radiation
Wireless devices crowd out cosmic radio signals and more
Cell phones and other Wi-Fi devices can interfere with interstellar — and Earth-based — research
library readers
Lots of people love a good book. But for some, written words can be a perplexing puzzle. People with dyslexia and some stroke victims struggle to read. Researchers are working to discover why.
monkeybusinessimages/iStockphoto
 Brain
Cool Jobs: Decoding how your brain ‘reads’
Researchers are looking for answers that will help people who struggle to read