McKenzie Prillaman

Science Writing Intern at Science News, Spring 2023

McKenzie Prillaman is the Spring 2023 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in bioethics from the University of Virginia. She also studied adolescent nicotine dependence as a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. After figuring out she’d rather explain scientific research than conduct it, she worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and then earned a master’s degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has appeared in Nature, Scientific American, Mongabay, Eos and the Mercury News, among other publications.

All Stories by McKenzie Prillaman

  1. Environment

    Fungi help rescue crops being harmed by microplastics

    Microplastics in the soil hinder plant growth. But two finalists at Regeneron ISEF found that fungi and farm waste can reduce the harm.

  2. Tech

    A device spots and counts honeybees hosting a dangerous parasite

    At Regeneron ISEF, three teens debuted an infrared system to detect honeybees carrying mites. It can show beekeepers when a colony needs to be treated.

  3. Brain

    Scientists Say: Connectome

    A connectome is a diagram of the cellular highways that carry information in the brain.

  4. Brain

    Scientists mapped every nerve cell in this insect brain

    Researchers have built a “connectivity map” of all the nerve cells in the larval fruit fly brain and how they link together.

  5. Planets

    Research on exoplanets took top award at 2023 Regeneron ISEF

    Six young researchers took home the top awards, each valued at a minimum of $50,000. Hundreds more shared nearly $9 million in prizes at international event.

  6. Health & Medicine

    New patch might replace some finger-prick testing of blood sugar

    A finalist at Regeneron ISEF created a wearable patch that turns yellow when someone’s blood-sugar level gets high enough to need an insulin shot.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Hand dryers can infect clean hands with bathroom germs

    Hot-air hand dryers are a haven for microbes. A finalist at Regeneron ISEF found that these machines spray germs all over freshly washed hands.

  8. Animals

    How to tell if cats are having fun — or if fur is flying

    Quietly wrestling cats may be hard at play. But if they’re chasing and yowling, you might have a cat fight on your hands.

  9. Humans

    How fingerprints form is no longer a mystery

    A mathematical theory proposed in the 1950s helps explain how fingerprint patterns such as arches, loops and whorls arise.

  10. Tech

    Magnetic fields melt and re-form new shape-shifting devices

    Miniature machines made of gallium and magnetic particles can switch from solid to liquid and back.