Nicoletta Lanese
Nicoletta Lanese is a science journalist and dancer who aims to bring science to new audiences, whether in print or on stage. She holds degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Brains are her beat. Follow her on Twitter @NicolettaML. 

Articles by: Nicoletta Lanese

close-up of woman's hand scratching an itch on her arm

A woman's debilitating chronic itch disappeared after she started using marijuana

By Nicoletta Lanese

"These findings are promising, but randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the results," her doctors said.

gloved hands holding syringe, giving injection into a patient's arm

Quick guide: COVID-19 vaccines in use and how they work

By Nicoletta Lanese

Here's a guide to the vaccines being used in different countries.

a loggerhead sea turtle swimming forward toward front-of-frame through bright blue water

Turtles complete seemingly impossible journey thanks to a hidden 'corridor' through the Pacific

By Nicoletta Lanese

Loggerhead turtles survive the journey using temporary "thermal corridors."

A CT scan of a woman's head shows an arrow pointing to a large hole in her septum

Rare autoimmune disorder caused a woman's nose to collapse

By Nicoletta Lanese

The bridge of the woman's nose collapsed and a hole formed in her septum.

AstraZeneca office in San Francisco.

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine causes very rare blood clots, EU regulator says

By Nicoletta Lanese

Other COVID-19 vaccines have not been linked to such clotting disorders.

Journalists film as the carriage carrying the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II (12791213 BC) advances as part of the parade of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies departing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square on April 3, 2021, on their way to their new resting place at the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

Glitzy parade of 22 mummified pharaohs fills Cairo streets

By Nicoletta Lanese

The 22 mummies included 18 kings and four queens.

Photo of port manatee from above

Florida officials race to drain huge wastewater reservoir before potential collapse

By Nicoletta Lanese

To avoid a collapse, regulators are dumping the reservoir water into Tampa Bay.

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine effective after 6 months and works against problem variant

By Nicoletta Lanese

The developers gave an update from their ongoing clinical trial.

An artist's rendering of a massive airburst barreling into Antarctica - looks like a big plume of fire crashing into the ice

Fiery 'airburst' of superheated gas slammed into Antarctica 430,000 years ago

By Nicoletta Lanese

Scientists found evidence of the impact on a mountaintop.

mouse holding onto its own front paws, ears perked up

How stress stops hair growth (in mice)

By Nicoletta Lanese

More research is needed to know if the same mechanism halts hair growth in humans.

The face of a Tapanuli orangutan that is sitting in a tree

Rarest great ape on Earth could soon go extinct

By Nicoletta Lanese

Tapanuli orangutans now occupy less than 3% of their historic habitat.

Series of micrograph images shows synthetic cells dividing

Scientists built a perfectly self-replicating synthetic cell

By Nicoletta Lanese

Scientists created a new organism called JCVI-syn3A that contains fewer than 500 genes.

Illustration of protoplanet crashing into Earth

A remnant of a protoplanet may be hiding inside Earth

By Nicoletta Lanese

A protoplanet called Theia crashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago

A pregnant women wearing a surgical mask receives a vaccine at the doctor's office

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective in pregnancy, new study shows

By Nicoletta Lanese

Protection also passes to the fetus through the placenta and to newborns through breast milk.

A short video clip of an octopus changing colors during active sleep

Do octopuses dream of 8-armed sheep? New study hints at human-like sleep cycle in cephalopods

By Nicoletta Lanese

Octopuses switch between "quiet" and "active" sleep, where they turn vivid colors.

3D rendering of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter explore Mars against the backdrop of a real Martian landscape

Piece of Wright brothers' 1st plane now on Mars

By Nicoletta Lanese

Fabric from the plane is secured to NASA's experimental Mars helicopter.

Gloved doctor pricks a patient's finger to conduct a blood sugar test

COVID-19 may trigger diabetes in some people

By Nicoletta Lanese

Scientists don't know exactly why the conditions are linked.

Biden stands at a podium with a sign on it that reads "The Biden Plan to Beat COVID-19"

100 million shots in arms: U.S. meets vaccination goal early

By Nicoletta Lanese

About 41 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated.

A vaccine shown in front of AstraZeneca and University of Oxford signs.

AstraZeneca vaccine safe, but rare risk of blood clots not ruled out, EU regulator says

By Nicoletta Lanese

The European Medicines Agency said the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.

Images shows three rows of stained blastoids, a kind of artificial embryo made from modified skin cells

'First complete models' of a human embryo made in the lab

By Nicoletta Lanese

The model embryos could shed light on early human development.

Short video clip shows a pair of hydrogen atoms jumping between guanine and cytosine, which are two bases in a DNA strand

Why does DNA spontaneously mutate? Quantum physics might explain.

By Nicoletta Lanese

A phenomenon called "proton tunneling" may explain some DNA mutations, the study authors suggest.

two boys in face masks bump elbows while standing near a wall in school

Moderna starts COVID-19 vaccine trial in infants and young children

By Nicoletta Lanese

The trial includes children in the U.S. and Canada.

stock image of a walrus poking its snout from the water

Arctic walrus takes a nap on an iceberg, wakes up in Ireland

By Nicoletta Lanese

That's one theory for how the walrus wound up so far from home.

a landscape photo of an outcrop of Greenland's Isua supracrustal belt, shows valley with a pool of water in the center and a coastline and ocean beyond

Traces of ancient magma ocean found in Greenland

By Nicoletta Lanese

The rocks contain chemical "fingerprints" from when the magma oceans crystallized.

Image shows an art piece by Beeple that contains thousands of tiles, each depicting a different image

String of code sells for $69 million

By Nicoletta Lanese

A unique piece of code verifies the authenticity of the digital art piece.