Andrea Thompson is senior desk editor for life science at Scientific American, covering the environment, energy and earth sciences. She has been covering these issues for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Scientific American, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered earth science and the environment. She has moderated panels, including as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Media Zone, and appeared in radio and television interviews on major networks. She holds a graduate degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a B.S. and an M.S. in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Follow Thompson on Bluesky @andreatweather.bsky.social
Kicking Climate Change: Wins for Health, the Economy and Security
Former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy talks with Scientific American’s Andrea Thompson about the widespread benefits of taking action against climate change.
Are We at a Climate Change Turning Point? Obama’s EPA Chief Thinks So
Gina McCarthy talks about the intersection of climate and health and the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks
Airborne Plastic Is Blowing All the Way to the Arctic
Tiny plastic particles have turned up in samples of Arctic snow, pointing to their ubiquity in the environment
Medicine in Space: What Microgravity Can Tell Us about Human Health
Astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor discusses her experience in microgravity and doing biological experiments in space
Humans Have Significantly Interrupted the Free Flow of Rivers
Dams are the single biggest impediment to river connectivity, which is crucial to maintaining healthy ecosystems
Tropical Storm Barry’s Dangers Will Reach Far Inland
Rains from the system will prolong the already historic flooding along the Mississippi
Utility-Scale Energy Storage Will Enable a Renewable Grid
A roadblock to sustainable energy solutions is coming unstuck
People of Color Breathe More Than Their Share of Polluted Air
Black and Hispanic people in the U.S. are exposed to more emissions than whites and consume less from the industries responsible
U.N. General Assembly President Sets Her Sights on Plastic Pollution
María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés is pushing internal action as well as changes within the U.N.
Microplastics Are Blowing in the Wind
Atmospheric currents are transporting plastic pollution into remote, pristine areas, showing the global nature of the problem
Radioactive Glass Beads May Tell the Terrible Tale of How the Fukushima Meltdown Unfolded
The microscopic particles unleashed by the plant’s explosions are also a potential environmental and health concern
Here's How Much Ice Antarctica Is Losing—It's a Lot
The world’s southernmost continent is jettisoning six times more ice now than it was four decades ago
Another Casualty of the Government Shutdown: Hurricane Preparedness
Weather models are not being updated and training sessions might be canceled during the budget standoff
Western Drought Ranks among the Worst of the Last Millennium
As temperatures warm, it becomes more likely the drought will match past “megadroughts” for length as well
Here’s How Much Climate Change Could Cost the U.S.
Warming could exact a major economic toll, but reducing emissions and adapting to changes can alleviate those costs
From Pine Cones to Hobbit Holes, Mimicking Nature Can Help Humans Adapt to Wildfires
Looking to fire-adapted trees and animals could reduce the impacts of California’s deadly blazes
Solving Microplastic Pollution Means Reducing, Recycling—and Fundamental Rethinking
New practices, and new chemistries, are needed to end the scourge
Microplastics Have Been Found in People's Poop—What Does It Mean?
Suspicions humans are consuming tiny plastic particles have been confirmed, spurring future work into the possible health impacts
What’s in a Half a Degree? 2 Very Different Future Climates
A new IPCC report shows the impacts in the near future that can be avoided by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees C
Why Did Hurricane Michael Rev Up to Category 4 So Quickly?
Scientists have made major strides in recent years in understanding why storms rapidly intensify
Indonesian Tsunami Was Powered by a Deadly Combo of Tectonics and Geography
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that touched off the tsunami occurred amid a complex puzzle of tectonic plates
Mosquitoes Could Carry Plastic Particles into the Food Chain
Microplastics stay in the insects’ bodies from larva to adulthood
Extreme Flooding from Florence Likely, Due to a Convergence of Threats
Compound flooding can exacerbate the impacts from storm surge and rain
From Fish to Humans, A Microplastic Invasion May Be Taking a Toll
Tiny bits of plastic have seeped into soil, fish and air, posing a threat to animal and human health