Hannah Thomasy, PhD headshot

Hannah Thomasy, PhD

Hannah is an Assistant Editor at The Scientist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Undark. She earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Washington where she studied traumatic brain injury and sleep. She completed the Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism in 2020. Outside of work, she enjoys running and aspires to be a participant on The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Articles by Hannah Thomasy, PhD

A brown-shelled snail with green and white striped eye stalks on the petals of a yellow tiger lily.

How Tiny Organisms Control Minds, Create Zombies, and Shape Ecosystems

Hands wearing blue gloves use scissors and forceps to cut DNA.

David Liu Wins 2025 Breakthrough Prize for Base Editing and Prime Editing

Enzymes, like DNA methyltransferase (pictured here in light blue), add epigenetic modifications to DNA (orange), changing gene expression and disease risk.

Is Lifetime Cancer Risk Determined Before Birth?

Hands facing opposite directions emerge from the back of a person’s head.

Severance versus Science: The Neuroscience of Split-Brain Syndrome

A profile of a young child with a measles rash.

Immune Amnesia: How the Texas Measles Outbreak Could Promote the Spread of Other Infectious Diseases

A red male cardinal and a brownish female sit on a branch in front of a green background.

Sex Determination: It’s in the Genes—Sometimes

A group of large animals, some of which are being studied for cancer resistance genes and proteins, are pictured, including a bison, an elephant, a giraffe, a manatee, a zebra, and a whale.

Peto’s Paradox: How Gigantic Species Evolved to Beat Cancer

Illustration of a manatee, capybara, whale and elephant

Anticancer Inspiration from Animal Giants

A cross-section of a mouse brain with staining for NOVA1 and cell nuclei.

Strange Squeaks: A Uniquely Human Gene Alters Mouse “Songs”

A greyscale image of cells dividing.

How Do Embryos Know How Fast to Develop?  

An artist’s rendering of glowing red and yellow neurons against a dark background.

“Man on Fire” Syndrome, Ion Channels, and the Quest for Safer Pain Treatments

An artist’s rendering of an antigen-presenting cell against a reddish background.

How Does the Gut Immune System Distinguish Between Friends and Foes?

Scientist using a Sharpie to label Petri plates.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Labels

Three monkeys with white and black fur sit in a tree.

Monkey Poop Reveals How Stress Boosts Survival

A close-up of the face of a woman in front of a chalkboard with resolutions written on it.

Struggling to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions? Brain Activity Reveals Why

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Image of a woman in a microbiology lab whose hair is caught on fire from a Bunsen burner.
April 1, 2025, Issue 1

Bunsen Burners and Bad Hair Days

Lab safety rules dictate that one must tie back long hair. Rosemarie Hansen learned the hard way when an open flame turned her locks into a lesson.

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Conceptual image of biochemical laboratory sample preparation showing glassware and chemical formulas in the foreground and a scientist holding a pipette in the background.

Taking the Guesswork Out of Quality Control Standards

An illustration of PFAS bubbles in front of a blue sky with clouds.

PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Concept illustration of acoustic waves and ripples.

Comparing Analytical Solutions for High-Throughput Drug Discovery

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Zymo Research Launches Research Grant to Empower Mapping the RNome

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Cytosurge Appoints Magid Haddouchi as Chief Commercial Officer