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Hannah Thomasy, PhD headshot

Hannah Thomasy, PhD

Hannah joined The Scientist as an assistant editor in 2023. Her work has appeared in Drug Discovery News, 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 woman eating a piece of multigrain bread.
How did Humans Adapt to Digest Starchy Foods?
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Dec 5, 2024 | 4 min read
Researchers uncover the surprisingly complex evolutionary history of the salivary protein amylase.
A woman in a blue and white striped shirt crosses her fingers behind her back.
How Does the Placebo Effect Work?
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Dec 2, 2024 | 2 min read
Placebo analgesia might be all in the head, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.
A small furry shrew pokes its head out from a pile of vegetation.
Gene Expression Shifts as Shrews Shrink and Regrow Their Brains
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Nov 20, 2024 | 5 min read
Transcriptomic studies of the shrew’s remarkably plastic brain could provide new insights into neurodegenerative diseases.
A golden retriever shakes off water on a sunny lawn.
What Drives the "Wet Dog Shakes" Reflex in Furry Animals?
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Nov 7, 2024 | 3 min read
Scientists identified the mechanoreceptor that triggers the distinctive shake-off behavior observed in mice when they become wet.
Bluish-grey circles of fuzzy mold grow in a Petri dish.
How a Moldy Cantaloupe Took Fleming’s Penicillin from Discovery to Mass Production
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Nov 4, 2024 | 10+ min read
Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of a mold with antibacterial properties was only the first serendipitous event on the long road to penicillin as a life-saving drug.
A white mouse sits in a Petri dish against a blue background.
A Neural Thermostat Sets the Intensity of Immune Responses
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Nov 1, 2024 | 2 min read
Specialized neurons in the brainstem and vagus nerve provide potential therapeutic targets for treating inflammatory disorders.
A reddish brown ant with a whitish fungal stalk growing out of it.
Zombie Fungi Hijack Hosts’ Brains
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Oct 29, 2024 | 10+ min read
Mind-controlling fungi are changing the ways that scientists understand host-parasite relationships.
A cat head and human head are seen in profile against a blue background, white and purple Toxoplasma parasites pass between them.
Genetically Engineered Parasites Smuggle Therapeutics into the Brain
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Oct 23, 2024 | 4 min read
Scientists modified Toxoplasma gondii to deliver a potential Rett Syndrome therapeutic to the mouse brain. 
A skull is seen on the forest floor; above it, magnified and in circles, are a blow fly, bacteria, and a carrion beetle.
Science Experiments from the Afterlife
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Oct 15, 2024 | 2 min read
Forensic anthropologists, microbiologists, and entomologists study donated cadavers to determine how human bodies decompose.
A baby rhesus macaque against a forest backdrop.
White Blood Cells, Hurricanes, and the Monkeys of Cayo Santiago
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Oct 1, 2024 | 2 min read
Citizen scientists help monitor monkey immune cells, providing a foundation for future work on stress, sociality, and aging.
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