Jonathan Lambert

Staff Writer, Biological Sciences, 2019-2021

Jonathan Lambert was a staff writer covering biological sciences at Science News from 2019 to 2021. He earned a master’s degree from Cornell University studying how a bizarre day-long mating ritual helped accelerate speciation in a group of Hawaiian crickets. A summer at the Dallas Morning News as a AAAS Mass Media fellow sparked a pivot from biologist to science journalist. He previously wrote for Quanta Magazine, NPR, and Nature News.

All Stories by Jonathan Lambert

  1. Animals

    Here’s how an arthropod pulls off the world’s fastest backflip

    While airborne, globular springtails can reach a spin rate of 368 rotations per second, high-speed camera footage shows.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Some people have never gotten COVID-19. An obscure gene may be why

    A trial that purposely exposed volunteers to COVID-19 revealed key immunological differences that may explain why some people can dodge SARS-CoV-2.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Malaria parasites can evade rapid tests, threatening eradication goals

    Genetic mutations are making Plasmodium falciparum, parasites that cause malaria, invisible to rapid tests. New, more sensitive tests could help.

  4. Ecosystems

    Noise pollution can harm birds even before they hatch

    Exposing zebra finch eggs and hatchlings to traffic sounds had lifelong health impacts, raising concerns about increased anthropogenic noise.

  5. Animals

    Male mammals aren’t always bigger than females

    In a study of over 400 mammal species, less than half have males that are, on average, heavier than females, undermining a long-standing assumption.

  6. Animals

    A 1,306-legged millipede is the first to live up to its name

    Scientists have discovered the first true millipede, an elongated, threadlike creature with a whopping 1,306 legs.

  7. Life

    A terrifying robot can thwart invasive mosquito fish

    A robot designed to mimic a natural predator of mosquito fish can impair the survival and reproduction of this costly invasive species.

  8. Life

    Cleared tropical forests can regain ground surprisingly fast

    Tropical forests can re-establish themselves on abandoned agricultural lands faster than expected, scientists say.

  9. Life

    Light-colored feathers may help migrating birds stay cool on long flights

    Analysis of over 20,000 illustrations of birds reveals that migrating birds generally tend to have lighter-colored feathers than birds that stay put.

  10. Climate

    A new map shows where carbon needs to stay in nature to avoid climate disaster

    Scientists have mapped the location of key natural carbon stores. Keeping these areas intact is crucial to fighting climate change.

  11. Animals

    Climate change may be shrinking tropical birds

    Scientists had previously found that migratory birds are getting smaller as temperatures rise. Dozens of tropical, nonmigratory species are too.

  12. Animals

    Baleen whales eat (and poop) a lot more than we realized

    The sheer volume of food that some whales eat and then excrete suggests the animals shape ecosystems to a much larger degree than previously thought.