Jess Thomson
Science Reporter
Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. She has covered weird animal behavior, space news and the impacts of climate change extensively. Jess joined Newsweek in May 2022 and previously worked at Springer Nature. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford. Languages: English.
You can get in touch with Jess by emailing [email protected].
Infestation of highly invasive species threatens Lake Tahoe's ecosystem
This marks the first time that these quickly reproducing New Zealand mud snails have been found in Lake Tahoe.
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Scientists estimate when humans could become extinct
"It could be between 25-30 degrees Celsius [45-54 F] warmer on average than today," study author Alexander Farnsworth told Newsweek.
Tropical storm Philippe model shows path as it moves toward the US
Storm Philippe was upgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday night, making it the 16th named storm of the hurricane season.
Highly contagious cat virus outbreak forces pet shelter closure
Feline panleukopenia "can live in environments for months," an animal shelter in Ohio said in a Facebook post about the outbreak of the deadly virus.
Juvenile whale hit by boat propeller left with "severe" head injuries
The whale is thought to have very low chances of survival after its collision, and has not been seen since Sunday.
Rocket carrying Space Force satellite punches hole in ionosphere
The rocket's exhaust fumes reacted with the ionosphere layer of the atmosphere, changing the ionization levels as it moved through during its ascent.
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Flash drought strikes the U.S. South, will continue into fall
U.S. Drought Monitor data shows that very dry spells across southern states have gotten significantly worse in the past three months.
Eco-friendly fibers possible as silkworms spin spider silk for first time
"It can be utilized in the production of high-end clothing and even in the manufacturing of innovative ballistic vests," study author Junpeng Mi told Newsweek.
Thousands of dead fish are washing up across Florida - here's why
"This will most certainly have been caused by the huge dead zone off that coastline," expert Ian Hendy told Newsweek.
Psychotherapists flip Freudian thinking on treating depression
Study participants who learned to block out negative thoughts were found to have "less worry, less depression, less negative affect, and greater well-being."
Scientists link ultraprocessed foods to depression
Artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened drinks were the worst offenders, the researchers found.
Man's stomach pain turns out to be knife blade
The man, who had been stabbed the day prior, was found to have a 6-inch knife blade inside his body, which had moved to the opposite side to the stab wound.
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Mystery of strange marks on sea floor solved by scientists
Researchers found that the markings matched up perfectly with the mouthparts of a bizarre deep-sea fish.
Infectious disease found in dogs has begun spreading to humans
"As of July 2023, 2 laboratory-confirmed cases of B. canis human infection have been identified in the UK," a government report states.
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Fishmongers buy extremely rare lobster, release it for a long "happy life"
"This lobster is rare because of its color, which is due to a genetic mutation. There are 1 case in 1 to 2 million," Les Viviers de Noirmoutier told Newsweek.
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Geomagnetic storm triggers spectacular aurora across U.S. states
The northern lights were seen across Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana, and faintly above Nebraska.
Texas woman finds huge venomous rattlesnake in toilet
The snake was identified as a Western diamond-backed rattlesnake, responsible for more human bites than any other rattlesnake species.
Parasite controls ants' minds to turn them into "zombies"
"The successful completion of the life cycle requires that the grazing mammal eats infected ants," study author Brian Lund Fredensborg said.
Man who went viral after taking his pet snake surfing fined $1,500
"The man was brought to our attention when he appeared in local media taking his python into the surf," said senior wildlife officer Jonathan McDonald.
Never-before seen arc of plasma uncovered in astronomy photography awards
Winners of the competition captured brand new discoveries out in the depths of space, as well as beautiful images of our solar system neighbors.
Soldiers mauled in crocodile attack sue the Department of Defense
The two soldiers were attacked while swimming, with one stabbing the crocodile in the eye with a knife to prevent him and his colleague from being killed.
Woman woken by loud noise finds meteorite in her garden
"There was no crater, but it broke the table," Sylvain Bouley, president of the Astronomical Society of France (SAF), said of the meteorite's crash landing.
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Rivers are losing oxygen faster than oceans: "Wake up call"
"If the oxygen levels get low enough, it becomes dangerous for aquatic life," Li Li, study author and Penn State professor, said.
Almost a third of the universe is made of mysterious dark matter
The universe is only around one-third matter, and only 5 percent "regular" matter that we can observe and interact with, with the rest being dark energy.
Dogs have observational spatial memory like humans, scientists confirm
Dogs can find hidden food better if they see it being stored by a human, indicating they remember the food being put away and aren't just sniffing it out.
Man on Hawaii honeymoon left paralyzed after surfing accident
"The disease itself is rare so there are no standardized treatment options as of yet," the man's wife, Cho Pak, wrote on her husband's GoFundMe page.
House-sized asteroid to pass closer to Earth than the moon
Asteroid 2023 RR5 is due to skim past at a distance of 130,000 miles away from Earth, nearly twice as close as the Moon at 240,000 miles.
Pack of piranhas feasts on dead caiman in terrifying video
The razor-toothed fish are seen in the video ripping into its body.
Scientists identify link between sitting and dementia
Both a sedentary lifestyle and shorter white blood cell telomeres may be linked to greater risk of developing dementia, researchers have found.
When and where can you get the new COVID booster shots?
The new COVID-19 vaccine boosters will possibly become available this week after the CDC signs off on the vaccine guidelines on Tuesday.
