JoAnna Wendel is a freelance science writer living in Portland, Oregon. She mainly covers Earth and planetary science but also loves the ocean, invertebrates, lichen and moss. JoAnna's work has appeared in Eos, Smithsonian Magazine, Knowable Magazine, Popular Science and more. JoAnna is also a science cartoonist and has published comics with Gizmodo, NASA, Science News for Students and more. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in general sciences because she couldn't decide on her favorite area of science. In her spare time, JoAnna likes to hike, read, paint, do crossword puzzles and hang out with her cat, Pancake.
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Hole in the ozone layer has grown for a 3rd year in a row — but scientists aren’t concernedThe ozone hole is the largest it's been since 2015, but overall it's still decreasing.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why did T. rex have such tiny arms?Tyrannosaurus rex and many of its theropod cousins had large bodies but tiny arms. What gives?
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Which animal has the largest head?The largest head in the animal kingdom likely belongs to the blue whale, while the largest relative to body size comes from an unlikely source.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Blazing fireball illuminates skies over Scotland and Northern IrelandAstronomers say the fireball was likely caused by a space rock the size of a golf ball disintegrating in Earth’s atmosphere.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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3D scans reveal that beetles have secret pockets on their backsFrom the moment they hatch, Lagria beetles carry symbiotic bacteria by stashing them in special pockets.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Oldest human-made structure in the Americas is older than the Egyptian pyramidsSediment cores from the LSU Mounds reveal thousands of years of buildup of clay, ash from burning plants and animal remains.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Roman 'Zodiac' coin with cancer sign unearthed in IsraelWhile exploring off the coast of Israel, archaeologists unearthed a rare astrological bronze coin showing the Roman moon goddess Luna.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Strange, never-before-seen diamond crystal structure found inside 'Diablo canyon' meteoriteGraphene found interlocked with diamonds inside an ancient meteorite could be the key to superfast, supercharged tech.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Cave explorers discover a 19th-century mining scene preserved like a time capsuleWhile exploring an old mine in northwestern England, a group of cavers stumbled upon 200-year-old personal items and equipment left by 19th-century cobalt miners.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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What happens in our brains when we 'hear' our own thoughts?Brain regions that activate when we hear speech out loud are also active when we think about speech.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why does wood catch fire, but metal doesn't?Burning is the release of energy, and some materials like metals, can absorb energy better than others, such as wood.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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How many space rocks hit the moon every year?Here's how many tiny and large space rocks hit the moon on a regular basis.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why isn't Earth perfectly round?A spinning planet is subject to centrifugal force, which causes its equator to bulge at the sides.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why aren't there polar bears in Antarctica?Polar bears evolved during a time when the North and South poles were not connected by ice or land, so they stayed at the North Pole.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why are asteroids and comets such weird shapes?Small bodies like asteroids and comets are shaped more by their geological makeup than by gravity, which molds planets and moons into spheres.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why do the planets in the solar system orbit on the same plane?About 4.5 billion years ago, the solar system was just a giant, spinning cloud of gas and dust. Today, it's flat. Here's how that happened.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why don't poisonous animals die from their own toxins?Some animals, such as poison dart frogs, carry enough toxic chemicals to kill multiple adult humans, but they've evolved tricks to avoid poisoning themselves.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Could a spaceship fly through a gas giant like Jupiter?These planets are mostly made of gas, but a spaceship would have a rough time trying to get through a giant planet like Jupiter or Saturn.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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Why do turtles live so long?Turtles are famous for their long lives. How do they achieve this longevity?
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth?Higher tides, bigger earthquakes, and more frequent volcanic eruptions would plague the planet.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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What is the smallest particle in the universe? (What about the largest?)Particle accelerators can help scientists measure the smallest and largest particles in the universe.
By JoAnna Wendel Published
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How fast does the Earth move?Our planet is constantly moving, racing around the sun and spinning on its axis. But how fast does it move?
By JoAnna Wendel Published

