Sharon Oosthoek

Freelance Writer

Sharon Oosthoek is a freelance science journalist who lives in Toronto, Canada. She has written about how bed bugs have favorite colors, why your shoelaces untie themselves and how chicken cologne can protect you from malaria.

 

She likes writing for young readers. They ask good questions, like how do scientists know the Earth is warming?

 

Sharon also writes for adults. Her articles have appeared in New Scientist, Canadian Geographic, Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, cbc.ca and Chemical & Engineering News. She is the winner of an American Academy for the Advancement of Science Kavli Science Journalism Award for children’s science writing.

All Stories by Sharon Oosthoek

  1. Brain

    IQ is in the genes

    Previous research that suggested parenting affects a child’s IQ is flawed, researchers now conclude.

  2. Climate

    World leaders call for action on climate change

    This week, the presidents of China and the United States pledged to take aggressive action on the release of greenhouse gases to head off dire worldwide climate effects.

  3. Animals

    Fish just wanna have fun

    Although biologists have observed fish playing before, scientists have now recorded hours of video showing a new type of antic in fish.

  4. Animals

    Sharks’ super sniffers at risk

    Rising ocean acidity could rob sharks of their ability to sniff out dinner, marine biologists find.

  5. Animals

    Germs explain some animal behaviors

    The bacteria that people and other animals host in and on their bodies are invisible to the eye. Yet they can play a very visible role in behavior. It’s something scientists are just coming to appreciate.

  6. Tech

    Biometrics: New IDs that are uniquely you

    Fingerprints are so last century. Computers soon may start identifying people by their eyebrows, heartbeats or even networks of blood vessels under the skin.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Clay: A new way to fight germs?

    Geologists have discovered a type of volcanic clay that shows promise in fighting infections — maybe even ones resistant to antibiotic medicines.

  8. Animals

    Bugs may have made us brainy

    Finding and eating bugs when other food was scarce helped primates — including our ancestors — evolve bigger and better brains. At least that’s the conclusion of a new study in Costa Rica.

  9. Animals

    Decoding bee dances

    Biologists have started eavesdropping on bees — or their dancing sign language — to identify where these buzzers prefer to forage. This info is pointing to which bee-friendly habitats may be most important to preserve.

  10. Animals

    Helping birds doctor their babies

    Darwin’s finches will soften their nests by weaving in fibers, such as stray bits of cotton. An observant biologist offered those birds some insecticide-treated cotton and the birds took it, which saved their young from deadly parasites.

  11. Animals

    Wild medicine

    Few veterinarians are available to treat sick animals in their natural environment. Fortunately, some critters can doctor themselves.

  12. Environment

    Unconventional spill

    An accidental spill of extra-heavy crude oil points to some unusual challenges in safely getting this petroleum to market.