Cells, brains, bodies, buildings, cities: my journalism covers a wide range of topics, always looking for new insights into the everyday and extraordinary people uncovering them.
Can sewage save us?
COVID tracking charts start here, with Biobot sewage analysis that knows we’re sick before we do.
Boston Globe, February 4, 2022
The uneven rise of the healthy workplace
While office buildings are getting cleaner air, work environments whose shortcomings were exposed by the coronavirus are in danger of being left behind.
Boston Globe, April 15, 2021
A DNA mystery: A woman was supposed to get Alzheimer’s by 50. Why didn’t she?
Mass. General’s Yakeel Quiroz led the search for what was protecting the Colombian woman into her early 70s — and if it might hold promise for others.
Boston Globe Magazine, October 28, 2020
When it comes to battling climate change and sea rise, what does it mean to be ‘resilient’?
Resiliency is the hot buzzword in developing Boston’s waterfront. But what is it? And might it be better to just not build there at all?
Boston Globe, April 19, 2020
Reversal of fortune?
Despite its complicated legacy, urban renewal’s success stories could help forge vibrant paths for Boston’s future.
ArchitectureBoston, February 6, 2020
Ed Logue and the birth of modern Boston
A new biography of the planner responsible for empowering Boston’s redevelopment agency challenges a long-held, simple narrative.
Boston Globe, October 18, 2019
The “mind-boggling” task of protecting New York City from rising seas
There are plans to fortify the city’s 520 miles of coast—but some of them will be unpopular.
Technology Review, April 24, 2019
How Amazon Prime will change the way our cities look
Stores define the urban landscape. What happens when goods go straight to your home?
Boston Globe, December 6, 2018
Digital immortality: How your life’s data means a version of you could live forever
Your family and friends will be able to interact with a digital “you” that doles out advice—even when you’re gone.
Technology Review, October 18, 2018
The legacy of Scott Pruitt on the EPA and the environment
Though he held office for less than two years, Pruitt set a precedent for fundamental changes at the EPA that could last a generation.
Architect, September 21, 2018
The "global chemical experiment"
Harvard’s Elsie Sunderland maps invisible ocean pollutants.
Harvard Magazine, June 19, 2018
Boston vs. the rising tide
Boston's history was shaped by its tides; with sea level rise, so will its future.
Boston Globe, April 28, 2018
Tougher energy codes can help cities meet climate goals - if they're enforced
City leaders may have to crack down on building owners to translate climate goals into energy efficiency and savings.
InsideClimate News, September 21, 2017
Measuring up
Denied more lab space for her pioneering research, Nancy Hopkins whipped out her tape measure. What she found sparked a movement to address gender bias in science.
Technology Review, August 16, 2017
It's all too clear
Boston wants to fight climate change. So why is every new building made of glass?
Boston Globe, July 16, 2017
Probing psychoses
In understanding schizophrenia, genes have “an awful lot to say.”
Harvard Magazine, June 28, 2017
The residential macrosystem
Managed collectively, backyards could become more biodiverse landscapes.
Anthropocene, June 21, 2017
Freshwater's macro microplastic problem
Fibers from our clothes are choking freshwater bodies with microplastic pollution. Solving the problem won’t be easy.
NOVA Next, May 11, 2017
Sealed inside
Americans are exposed to more pollutants indoors than outdoors. One solution: Create buildings that breathe cleanly.
Politico, May 10, 2017
Boston planners see a greenway where there's a high-traffic road
There’s a growing movement among planners and green space advocates to fulfill Olmsted’s vision.
Next City, April 18, 2017