Selected Writing
A Lot More Water Is Flowing Through This NWT River. Why?
One NWT river is behaving in a way the others aren't, prompting scientists to ask: Where is all the water coming from?
Cabin Radio, October 18, 2023
Warming Climate Reshapes Base of Great Slave Lake’s Food Web
"This is really changing quickly." A fundamental shift at the bottom of Great Slave Lake's food web almost certainly has implications for species at the top.
Cabin Radio, September 22, 2023
What Wildfires Might Mean for Your NWT Water Supply
Wildfires are known to affect water in many ways – sometimes making it harder to treat. Here’s why some experts are concerned about the NWT.
Cabin Radio, September 19, 2023
How a Crew of Yellowknifers Fed Workers in Their Evacuated City
These Yellowknifers created extraordinary meals from anything left in stores and gardens to feed firefighters defending the evacuated city. Here's their story.
Cabin Radio, September 4, 2023
How Will the NWT’s Fires – and Its Evacuations – Come to an End?
When do we get to go home? "When it's safe." But what counts as safe to the NWT's fire crews, and how do we get the fires to that point? We asked.
Cabin Radio, August 22, 2023
In a Changing Climate, Indigenous Communities Turn to New Country Foods
Caribou aren’t as abundant or reliably available as they once were. Can other species serve as substitutes?
Cabin Radio, June 29, 2023
Do Endangered Species Laws Set Culturally Meaningful Targets?
Definitions of recovery under endangered species laws are one thing. Restoring numbers to the point of Indigenous food sovereignty is another, a new paper says.
Cabin Radio, June 5, 2023
Canada Wants More Indigenous Knowledge in IPCC Climate Reports
"There is clearly work to be done." Canada's delegates to the IPCC have requested the inclusion of more Indigenous knowledge in future major climate reports.
Cabin Radio, April 11, 2023
Loss of Summer Sea Ice in ‘Last Ice Area’ Is Imminent, Study Says
The oldest, thickest sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is on borrowed time, according to scientists comparing conditions thousands of years ago with those seen today.
Cabin Radio, April 4, 2023
Lack of Transparency Angers Communities Affected by Tailings Leaks
A months-long wastewater leak and a separate, huge spill at a northern Alberta oil sands mine have unnerved communities nearby – as has Imperial Oil's approach.
Cabin Radio, March 3, 2023
Why Biomass District Heating Could Help Decarbonize the North
Biomass systems in Canada often heat two to five buildings, but the North is crying out for larger-scale heating solutions. Where does NWT biomass go from here?
Cabin Radio, February 15, 2023
As Permafrost Thaws, Experts Learn to Build on Shifting Ground
We're slowly learning how to build for the long term on frozen and thawing ground, and those lessons are making their way into everyday use. But it's a process.
Cabin Radio, December 23, 2022
NWT Research Facility Sustains Major Wildfire Damage
"A gut punch." The Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation says the NWT's Scotty Creek research station has been almost completely destroyed by a forest fire.
Cabin Radio, October 19, 2022
More Men Are Seeking Out Testosterone Tests. Are They Getting Duped?
Online low-T services have proliferated during the pandemic. But treatment can come with risks.
New York Times, August 3, 2022
Warning! Signs Are Not Enough to Save Beachgoers from Deadly Currents
Keeping people out of rip currents is more about reading human behavior than reading warning signs.
Hakai Magazine, June 14, 2022
A Mad Dash to Save Stranded Crayfish
When masses of crayfish end up on the beach after an algal bloom strips oxygen from the water, South African communities and authorities race to ship the valuable crustaceans back out to sea.
Hakai Magazine, June 13, 2022
Growth Charts Map Brain Changes Across Lifespan
The new resource is the first to chart human brain development from before birth to 100 years of age.
Spectrum, May 12, 2022
Cracking Autism's Sleep Conundrum
Sleep problems may contribute to, or derive from, autism traits — or both. After decades of work, researchers are beginning to uncover the biological connections between the two conditions, revealing new paths to potential treatments.
Spectrum, February 25, 2022
Cold Water Plunges Are Trendy. Can They Really Reduce Anxiety and Depression?
Early research suggests this age-old practice might benefit mental health, but more research is needed.
New York Times, February 21, 2022
Surrogacy Across Species
Scientists can now borrow the bodies of one fish species to produce another — whether they should, though, is an open question.
Hakai Magazine, September 28, 2021
Finding a Path Forward for Fragile X Drugs
The stubborn lack of treatments for fragile X syndrome is spurring researchers to revise their clinical trial techniques and revisit old drug candidates.
Spectrum, September 23, 2021
Bringing Back Bogs
Researchers are working to find the best ways to help soggy ecosystems recover.
Sierra, July 27, 2021
Can We Live to 200? Here's a Roadmap
In the last century, the average human life expectancy doubled. Here's a roadmap to the innovations that could help us do it again — maybe.
New York Times Magazine, April 27, 2021
As South Africa Clings to Coal, A Struggle for the Right to Breathe
Close ties between the ruling elite and the coal industry have helped perpetuate South Africa’s dependence on the dirtiest fossil fuel for electricity. But now residents of the nation’s most coal-intensive region are suing to force the government to clean up choking air pollution.
Yale Environment 360, November 24, 2020
Cell Maps Reveal Diversity of Neurons in Gut
A new atlas details gene expression in neurons and other cells from the intestines of mice and people.
Spectrum, October 21, 2020
Peck by Peck, Seabirds Are Eating Live Whales
Giant petrels see surfaced whales as a swimming snack bar.
Hakai Magazine, October 15, 2020
Virtual Lab Visits Enable Remote Assessments of Child Development
A new telehealth test offers researchers a way to measure a child’s development and detect signs of atypical behavior remotely.
Spectrum, October 7, 2020
As Oil Industry Swoons, Tar Sands Workers Look to Renewables for Jobs
Long reliant on the vast oil reserves of its tar sands, Alberta is now facing a reckoning as its oil industry is clobbered by the coronavirus downturn. With tar sands operations shedding jobs, a movement is growing to retrain oil workers for the emerging renewables sector.
Yale Environment 360, April 30, 2020
The Art of Turning Fish Into Leather
Fish skin leather was once common in fishing communities; now artisans and designers are breathing new life into the tradition.
Hakai Magazine, April 28, 2020
Gene Drives Could Stop the World's Oldest Problems. Kevin Esvelt Wants to Make Sure They Don't Start Any
Esvelt's career has gone from straight science into ethics and safety.
Inverse, April 1, 2020
As Shipwrecks Rust, Oil Spills Are Imminent
After decades at the bottom of the sea, thousands of corroded Second World War wrecks threaten to spill their oil into the South Pacific.
Hakai Magazine, September 16, 2019
Meet the Scientists Who Pollute Lakes on Purpose
For half a century, researchers have been spilling chemicals in the waters of northwestern Ontario.
Atlas Obscura, July 30, 2019
Microplastics Are Highly Diverse and Those Differences Matter
The small pieces of plastics that pollute our oceans are more diverse than we make them out to be. Recognizing their variety may help us find solutions.
Hakai Magazine, May 15, 2019
From Canadian Coal Mines, Toxic Pollution That Knows No Borders
Massive open-pit coal mines in British Columbia are leaching high concentrations of selenium into the Elk River watershed, damaging fish populations and contaminating drinking water. Now this pollution is flowing across the Canadian-U.S. border, threatening the quality of U.S. waters.
Yale Environment 360, April 1, 2019
Canadians Found a Safer Way to Transport Oil and, Yes, It Looks Like a Hockey Puck
But petroleum shipping remains an inherently risky business.
Popular Science, January 28, 2019
Core Set of Autism Traits Shows Up in Diverse Cultures
Some autism traits look the same across cultures, and they could form the basis of a global screening tool, a new study suggests.
Spectrum, January 3, 2019
Bird Casualties Remain a Mystery After Largest-Ever Oil Spill Off Canada's East Coast
In November, an offshore platform spilled 66,000 gallons of oil into the Atlantic, where millions of seabirds overwinter. But determining a death toll is proving a challenge for biologists.
Audubon, December 7, 2018
New Techniques Extend Tool Kit for Constructing ‘Mini-Brains’
Two new methods for building ‘mini-brains’ may help researchers study how early brain development differs in people with autism.
Spectrum, October 5, 2018
One NWT river is behaving in a way the others aren't, prompting scientists to ask: Where is all the water coming from?
Cabin Radio, October 18, 2023
Warming Climate Reshapes Base of Great Slave Lake’s Food Web
"This is really changing quickly." A fundamental shift at the bottom of Great Slave Lake's food web almost certainly has implications for species at the top.
Cabin Radio, September 22, 2023
What Wildfires Might Mean for Your NWT Water Supply
Wildfires are known to affect water in many ways – sometimes making it harder to treat. Here’s why some experts are concerned about the NWT.
Cabin Radio, September 19, 2023
How a Crew of Yellowknifers Fed Workers in Their Evacuated City
These Yellowknifers created extraordinary meals from anything left in stores and gardens to feed firefighters defending the evacuated city. Here's their story.
Cabin Radio, September 4, 2023
How Will the NWT’s Fires – and Its Evacuations – Come to an End?
When do we get to go home? "When it's safe." But what counts as safe to the NWT's fire crews, and how do we get the fires to that point? We asked.
Cabin Radio, August 22, 2023
In a Changing Climate, Indigenous Communities Turn to New Country Foods
Caribou aren’t as abundant or reliably available as they once were. Can other species serve as substitutes?
Cabin Radio, June 29, 2023
Do Endangered Species Laws Set Culturally Meaningful Targets?
Definitions of recovery under endangered species laws are one thing. Restoring numbers to the point of Indigenous food sovereignty is another, a new paper says.
Cabin Radio, June 5, 2023
Canada Wants More Indigenous Knowledge in IPCC Climate Reports
"There is clearly work to be done." Canada's delegates to the IPCC have requested the inclusion of more Indigenous knowledge in future major climate reports.
Cabin Radio, April 11, 2023
Loss of Summer Sea Ice in ‘Last Ice Area’ Is Imminent, Study Says
The oldest, thickest sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is on borrowed time, according to scientists comparing conditions thousands of years ago with those seen today.
Cabin Radio, April 4, 2023
Lack of Transparency Angers Communities Affected by Tailings Leaks
A months-long wastewater leak and a separate, huge spill at a northern Alberta oil sands mine have unnerved communities nearby – as has Imperial Oil's approach.
Cabin Radio, March 3, 2023
Why Biomass District Heating Could Help Decarbonize the North
Biomass systems in Canada often heat two to five buildings, but the North is crying out for larger-scale heating solutions. Where does NWT biomass go from here?
Cabin Radio, February 15, 2023
As Permafrost Thaws, Experts Learn to Build on Shifting Ground
We're slowly learning how to build for the long term on frozen and thawing ground, and those lessons are making their way into everyday use. But it's a process.
Cabin Radio, December 23, 2022
NWT Research Facility Sustains Major Wildfire Damage
"A gut punch." The Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation says the NWT's Scotty Creek research station has been almost completely destroyed by a forest fire.
Cabin Radio, October 19, 2022
More Men Are Seeking Out Testosterone Tests. Are They Getting Duped?
Online low-T services have proliferated during the pandemic. But treatment can come with risks.
New York Times, August 3, 2022
Warning! Signs Are Not Enough to Save Beachgoers from Deadly Currents
Keeping people out of rip currents is more about reading human behavior than reading warning signs.
Hakai Magazine, June 14, 2022
A Mad Dash to Save Stranded Crayfish
When masses of crayfish end up on the beach after an algal bloom strips oxygen from the water, South African communities and authorities race to ship the valuable crustaceans back out to sea.
Hakai Magazine, June 13, 2022
Growth Charts Map Brain Changes Across Lifespan
The new resource is the first to chart human brain development from before birth to 100 years of age.
Spectrum, May 12, 2022
Cracking Autism's Sleep Conundrum
Sleep problems may contribute to, or derive from, autism traits — or both. After decades of work, researchers are beginning to uncover the biological connections between the two conditions, revealing new paths to potential treatments.
Spectrum, February 25, 2022
Cold Water Plunges Are Trendy. Can They Really Reduce Anxiety and Depression?
Early research suggests this age-old practice might benefit mental health, but more research is needed.
New York Times, February 21, 2022
Surrogacy Across Species
Scientists can now borrow the bodies of one fish species to produce another — whether they should, though, is an open question.
Hakai Magazine, September 28, 2021
Finding a Path Forward for Fragile X Drugs
The stubborn lack of treatments for fragile X syndrome is spurring researchers to revise their clinical trial techniques and revisit old drug candidates.
Spectrum, September 23, 2021
Bringing Back Bogs
Researchers are working to find the best ways to help soggy ecosystems recover.
Sierra, July 27, 2021
Can We Live to 200? Here's a Roadmap
In the last century, the average human life expectancy doubled. Here's a roadmap to the innovations that could help us do it again — maybe.
New York Times Magazine, April 27, 2021
As South Africa Clings to Coal, A Struggle for the Right to Breathe
Close ties between the ruling elite and the coal industry have helped perpetuate South Africa’s dependence on the dirtiest fossil fuel for electricity. But now residents of the nation’s most coal-intensive region are suing to force the government to clean up choking air pollution.
Yale Environment 360, November 24, 2020
Cell Maps Reveal Diversity of Neurons in Gut
A new atlas details gene expression in neurons and other cells from the intestines of mice and people.
Spectrum, October 21, 2020
Peck by Peck, Seabirds Are Eating Live Whales
Giant petrels see surfaced whales as a swimming snack bar.
Hakai Magazine, October 15, 2020
Virtual Lab Visits Enable Remote Assessments of Child Development
A new telehealth test offers researchers a way to measure a child’s development and detect signs of atypical behavior remotely.
Spectrum, October 7, 2020
As Oil Industry Swoons, Tar Sands Workers Look to Renewables for Jobs
Long reliant on the vast oil reserves of its tar sands, Alberta is now facing a reckoning as its oil industry is clobbered by the coronavirus downturn. With tar sands operations shedding jobs, a movement is growing to retrain oil workers for the emerging renewables sector.
Yale Environment 360, April 30, 2020
The Art of Turning Fish Into Leather
Fish skin leather was once common in fishing communities; now artisans and designers are breathing new life into the tradition.
Hakai Magazine, April 28, 2020
Gene Drives Could Stop the World's Oldest Problems. Kevin Esvelt Wants to Make Sure They Don't Start Any
Esvelt's career has gone from straight science into ethics and safety.
Inverse, April 1, 2020
As Shipwrecks Rust, Oil Spills Are Imminent
After decades at the bottom of the sea, thousands of corroded Second World War wrecks threaten to spill their oil into the South Pacific.
Hakai Magazine, September 16, 2019
Meet the Scientists Who Pollute Lakes on Purpose
For half a century, researchers have been spilling chemicals in the waters of northwestern Ontario.
Atlas Obscura, July 30, 2019
Microplastics Are Highly Diverse and Those Differences Matter
The small pieces of plastics that pollute our oceans are more diverse than we make them out to be. Recognizing their variety may help us find solutions.
Hakai Magazine, May 15, 2019
From Canadian Coal Mines, Toxic Pollution That Knows No Borders
Massive open-pit coal mines in British Columbia are leaching high concentrations of selenium into the Elk River watershed, damaging fish populations and contaminating drinking water. Now this pollution is flowing across the Canadian-U.S. border, threatening the quality of U.S. waters.
Yale Environment 360, April 1, 2019
Canadians Found a Safer Way to Transport Oil and, Yes, It Looks Like a Hockey Puck
But petroleum shipping remains an inherently risky business.
Popular Science, January 28, 2019
Core Set of Autism Traits Shows Up in Diverse Cultures
Some autism traits look the same across cultures, and they could form the basis of a global screening tool, a new study suggests.
Spectrum, January 3, 2019
Bird Casualties Remain a Mystery After Largest-Ever Oil Spill Off Canada's East Coast
In November, an offshore platform spilled 66,000 gallons of oil into the Atlantic, where millions of seabirds overwinter. But determining a death toll is proving a challenge for biologists.
Audubon, December 7, 2018
New Techniques Extend Tool Kit for Constructing ‘Mini-Brains’
Two new methods for building ‘mini-brains’ may help researchers study how early brain development differs in people with autism.
Spectrum, October 5, 2018
Video
The Waterfront
The Gowanus Canal is one of the most polluted waterways in the country. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood canoe club, whose members have paddled the filthy water and advocated for its cleanup for nearly two decades.
Selected for the 2018 Environmental Film Festival at Yale, the People Preserving Place festival New York Wild Film Festival, and the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival.
The Gowanus Canal is one of the most polluted waterways in the country. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood canoe club, whose members have paddled the filthy water and advocated for its cleanup for nearly two decades.
Selected for the 2018 Environmental Film Festival at Yale, the People Preserving Place festival New York Wild Film Festival, and the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival.
Audio
Life on the Line
The story of a small town split by the border.
PRX, December 10, 2018
Call These Plants by Their Names
Botanical conservation and linguistic preservation go hand-in-hand on the remote island nation of Vanuatu.
Scienceline, July 8, 2018
Old Beef
The science of aging meat,
Scienceline, November 6, 2017
The story of a small town split by the border.
PRX, December 10, 2018
Call These Plants by Their Names
Botanical conservation and linguistic preservation go hand-in-hand on the remote island nation of Vanuatu.
Scienceline, July 8, 2018
Old Beef
The science of aging meat,
Scienceline, November 6, 2017
For updates on my work, find me on Twitter @chloewilliamscc
