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

Dan Robitzski

Dan is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles who joined The Scientist as a reporter and editor 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. In 2018, an Undark feature Dan and colleagues began at NYU on a questionable drug approval decision at the FDA won first place in the student category of the Association of Health Care Journalists' Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. Now, Dan writes and edits stories on all aspects of the life sciences for the online news desk, and he oversees the “The Literature” and “Modus Operandi” sections of the monthly TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. Read more of his work at danrobitzski.com.

Articles by Dan Robitzski
Illustration of light blue neurons with white amyloid plaques accumulating on their axons.
New Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Cognitive Decline in Clinical Trial
Dan Robitzski | Sep 28, 2022
The Biogen-developed treatment, called lecanemab, appears to have a more clear-cut effect on slowing the disease than the company’s previous Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm.
Two agar plates superimposed on each other. One is empty while the other is growing multiple different cultured organisms, colored white, beige, and green.
Most Archaea and Bacteria are Nameless. SeqCode Could Change That
Dan Robitzski | Sep 27, 2022
The Scientist spoke with microbiologist William Whitman about a new system of nomenclature for prokaryotic organisms that can’t be cultured.
Illustration of pink and blue DNA molecules.
Historic Adaptations May Now Make Us Susceptible to Disease
Dan Robitzski | Sep 16, 2022
Researchers made the find using an algorithm that purportedly distinguishes between mutations that were selected for and those that came along for the ride by coincidence, a feat that has long eluded scientists.
A surgical mask next to an open pill bottle that’s toppled over, spilling out red capsules meant to represent vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D Likely Doesn’t Prevent COVID-19, Studies Find
Dan Robitzski | Sep 9, 2022
The results from two large clinical trials don't support the idea that supplements of the vitamin bolster immune defenses against SARS-CoV-2.
Illustration of a human and Neanderthal skull side by side.
Mutation Linked to Difference Between Human and Neanderthal Brains
Dan Robitzski | Sep 9, 2022
A single amino acid substitution in a protein causes increased neuron production in the frontal lobes of humans compared to Neanderthals—a tiny difference that could have given our species a cognitive edge, researchers say.
A postcard from the early 1900s depicting an Indigenous midden in Damariscotta, Maine.
Sticks and Bones, Circa 8000 BCE
Dan Robitzski | Sep 1, 2022
Ancient stashes of animal bones, tools, and other artifacts are often dismissed as archaic garbage heaps, but the deposits provide glimpses of the cultural practices and environmental conditions of past Indigenous settlements.
Brightly colored intersecting lines, creating a chaotic pattern that resembles a subway map.
Monkeys Look for Patterns that Aren’t There—Just Like Humans Do
Dan Robitzski | Aug 31, 2022
Macaques continued to search for answers to an unsolvable laboratory task, seemingly refusing to believe that the correct answers were random and inconsistent.
Profile view of a newborn piglet being held by a veterinarian dressed in green.
Federal Investigators Probe Possible Misconduct in Pig Research
Dan Robitzski | Aug 30, 2022
A quintet of research papers, all involving subjecting newborn piglets to brain damage, have been retracted because the data can’t be substantiated.
Illustration of several warped and stretched analog clocks swirling around a central point.
It’s Not Just You: Lockdowns Had Us Living in “Blursday,” Study Says
Dan Robitzski | Aug 26, 2022
The Scientist spoke with Maximilien Chaumon about his database showing how COVID-19 related lockdowns warped more 2,800 people’s perception of time.
Bright purple and orange lactobacillus bacteria.
How a Specific Gut Bacterium May Cause Type 1 Diabetes
Dan Robitzski | Aug 25, 2022
A bacterium that produces an insulin-like peptide can give mice type 1 diabetes, and infection with the microbe seems to predict the onset of the disease in humans, a study finds.