black and white image of young man in sunglasses with trees in background

Dan Robitzski

Dan joined the team at The Scientist in 2021. Ironically, Dan’s undergraduate degree and brief career in neuroscience inspired him to write about research rather than conduct it, culminating in him earning a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University in 2017. Dan’s work has appeared in CRISPR Medicine News, Undark, Popular Science, IEEE Spectrum, and elsewhere, and he spent several years as a senior reporter at Futurism.

Articles by Dan Robitzski
Multiple purple and pink renditions of stem cells appear as spherical clusters enveloped in translucent bubbles
Mammalian Embryos Might Not Need Primitive Streaks After All
Dan Robitzski | Dec 2, 2021
The primitive streak, a structure that emerges during mammalian and avian gastrulation, might be a byproduct rather than a landmark of the embryonic development process.
Artist’s renderings of SARS-CoV-2 float in front of a map showing the origins of various variants of the virus.
Omicron Is WHO’s Fifth Variant of Concern, Experts Urge Patience
Dan Robitzski | Nov 30, 2021
Preliminary data suggest that the newly dubbed Omicron variant may be more infectious than previous versions of the virus, but it will take time to obtain the reliable data needed to answer pressing questions about its biology.
small, circular bones individually labeled and packaged in plastic bags
2,000-Year-Old Salmon DNA Reveals Secret to Sustainable Fisheries
Dan Robitzski | Nov 29, 2021
Genomic analysis of ancient chum salmon bones and cultural knowledge from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation suggest that people in the Pacific Northwest managed fisheries for thousands of years by harvesting males and releasing females.
A ship off the coast of Antarctica approaches a beach
Q&A: How to Keep Antarctica Safe from Invasive Species
Dan Robitzski | Nov 23, 2021
The Scientist spoke with University of Wollongong ecologist Dana Bergstrom about protecting the continent’s native plants and animals in the face of climate change and a growing human presence.
A grid of images showing different cross sections of a human brain MRI.
Study Links Flu to Increased Parkinson’s Risk a Decade Later
Dan Robitzski | Nov 19, 2021
Epidemiological research suggests that a flu diagnosis might be one factor in the eventual onset of the neurodegenerative disease, but experts say it doesn’t prove a causal relationship.
Man in a white shirt and a large backpack stands on a hill overlooking dense forest
Public Health Pioneer Peter Pharoah Dies at 87
Dan Robitzski | Nov 11, 2021
Pharoah’s work ended endemic cretinism in a remote region of Papua New Guinea and contributed to the understanding of myriad other perinatal health conditions.
Artist’s rendering of the protein synthesis process, in which a tRNA molecules carry amino acids to a ribosome that’s decoding a strand of mRNA.
Screen of 250,000 Species Reveals Tweaks to Genetic Code
Dan Robitzski | Nov 9, 2021
A massive screen of bacterial and archaeal genomes revealed five previously unknown instances where an organism uses an alternate code to translate genetic blueprints into proteins.
Image of the tissue surrounding a pancreatic tumor thickening and scarring.
How Pancreas Injuries Can Cause Cancer in Mice
Dan Robitzski | Nov 9, 2021
A key mutation turns healing cells into cancer promoters.
a spiny mouse sits on a piece of wood holding a small morsel to its mouth
Spiny Mice Appear to Regenerate Damaged Kidneys
Dan Robitzski | Nov 3, 2021
The mice, already known to regenerate skin, seem to avoid the tissue scarring that leads to organ failure in other animals.
spider on a web
Spider Uses its Web Like a Giant Engineered Ear
Dan Robitzski | Oct 29, 2021
Bridge spiders “outsource” their hearing by building webs that double as acoustic arrays, allowing them to perceive sounds from great distances.