Ashley P. Taylor

Ashley P. Taylor

Live Science Contributor

Ashley P. Taylor is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York. As a science writer, she focuses on molecular biology and health, though she enjoys learning about experiments of all kinds. Ashley's work has appeared in Live Science, The New York Times blogs, The Scientist, Yale Medicine and PopularMechanics.com. Ashley studied biology at Oberlin College, worked in several labs and earned a master's degree in science journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. 

Articles by: Ashley P. Taylor

a cat with gray spots crouches on a blue background

How do cats get their spots?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Scientists have identified some of the involved genes behind cats' spots, but there's still a piece missing.

Microscope image of an adenocarcinoma in the pancreas. Cancer cells can be seen in dark pink and purple concentrated in a blob in the center of the image. Normal cells can be seen in purple dotted about around it with white gaps in the image where no cells are present.

The 10 deadliest cancers, and why there's no cure

By Ashley P. Taylor, Emily Cooke last updated

reference The deadliest cancers aren't necessarily the ones that kill the most people, overall. They're the ones with the lowest survival rates.

The hominin wall at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City.

What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution?

By Ker Than, Ashley P. Taylor, Tom Garner last updated

Reference In 1859, Charles Darwin published his ideas that humans and animals change over time. But what is the Theory of Evolution?

Illustration showing a close up of a monkeypox virus particles.

Will monkeypox become a pandemic?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Surprisingly, there is no official definition of a pandemic.

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a sample of fat tissue, showing fat cells (adipocytes, red yellow) surrounded by fine strands of supportive connective tissue.

Invisible nerve-cell superhighway allows fat cells to 'talk' to the brain — and it may promote obesity

By Ashley P. Taylor published

In a mouse study, scientists visualized the neurons that let fat communicate with the brain.

vitamin d, vitamin, pill

Does vitamin D protect against COVID-19?

By Ashley P. Taylor last updated

In the absence of a COVID-19 cure or vaccine, scientists are investigating whether vitamin D can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.

A heavily pregnant, African-American woman wearing and orange dress is sat on her couch holding her bump. She is grimacing as if she is starting labor

Signs of labor: 6 clues baby is on the way

By Cari Nierenberg, Ashley P. Taylor, Ailsa Harvey, Yasmine S. Ali, MD published

Reference Find out how to spot the common signs of labor and discover some things you can do to promote labor

Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the national bird?

Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the US national bird?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Franklin was being sarcastic. But dig into the story of how the myth arose and it just gets weirder and weirder.

Sunset on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

What's the most sunsets you could see on Earth in one day?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Most people see only one sunset a day. How many more could you catch, if you really tried?

What would happen if light traveled much more slowly?

What would happen if the speed of light were much lower?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Here's what would happen if the speed of light were orders of magnitude slower.

A woman sitting on a bed looking tired and holding her head in her hands.

What chronic fatigue syndrome can teach us about 'long COVID'

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Existing knowledge about ME/CFS might be able to help some long COVID patients, and vice versa.

A young Asian woman holds her sleeping newborn baby as she rests her head behind her, looking sad.

What is postpartum depression?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Many parents experience postpartum depression. Here's what it looks like and how it can be treated.

a teenager receiving a vaccination.

Should 12-year-olds get the COVID-19 vaccine?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

The benefits of vaccinating young people against COVID-19 outweigh the risks, experts say.

Laughing gas could help treat depression.

Laughing gas may treat depression, small study suggests

By Ashley P. Taylor published

As many as one in three cases of depression are resistant to standard treatments. Could laughing gas be an alternative?

A medical illustration of the human brain from 'Quain's Elements of Anatomy, Eighth Edition, Vol.II' (by William Sharpey MD, LLD, FRS L&E, Allen Thomson, MD, LLD, FRS L&E, and Edward Albert Schafer) depicts the right half of the brain divided by a vertical antero-posterior section, 1876.

Human brain: Facts, functions & anatomy

By Tanya Lewis, Ashley P. Taylor published

The human brain is the command center for the human nervous system.

Tooth sensitivity: Close up of a woman's mouth biting into a popsicle.

Tooth sensitivity: Causes and remedies

By Ashley P. Taylor, Jessie Szalay published

Tooth sensitivity is a common dental problem that involves discomfort or pain in teeth when encountering certain substances and temperatures.

A graphic of a heart in front of an EKG

Do other animals get heart attacks?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Humans may be heart-attack-prone because of a mutation that keeps us from making a particular sugar molecule.

illustration of jungle plants and animals

What is the most genetically diverse species?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Genetic diversity helps organisms adapt to environmental changes.

An illustration of a DNA molecule.

Researchers can now collect and sequence DNA from the air

By Ashley P. Taylor published

For the first time, researchers have collected animal DNA from mere air samples.

Square cheese crackers.

Chemical found in 1,000 processed foods may harm the immune system

By Ashley P. Taylor published

The food preservative is found in Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and many other processed foods.

stained glass window of Adam and Eve

Was the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden really an apple?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

It could have been a fig, grapes, citron, a pomegranate or even wheat.

Lab chemicals illustration

More than 50 new environmental chemicals detected in people

By Ashley P. Taylor published

The vast majority of these chemicals are mysterious compounds with unknown sources.

The long-eared jerboa, a desert rodent, has the largest ears, relative to the size of its body, of any animal.

Which animal has the largest ears?

By Ashley P. Taylor published

The animal with the largest ears relative to body size is actually quite tiny.

Gwyneth Paltrow at a panel discussion in New York City on February 03, 2020.

Gwyneth Paltrow's wacky COVID-19 treatments have no medical justification

By Ashley P. Taylor published

Experts said there was no evidence that any of Paltrow's remedies could help with prolonged symptoms of COVID-19.

A health worker takes a swab for a COVID-19 test at Ashton Gate Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Bristol, England.

Another new coronavirus variant now detected in 13 countries

By Ashley P. Taylor published

As of Feb. 17, there had been 46 cases of the new variant confirmed in the U.K.