Saima S. Iqbal
Science Writing Intern, Fall 2023
Saima Iqbal was the fall 2023 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, where she studied the history of medicine, conducted research on cancer immunotherapies, and fell in love with narrative science writing.
Trustworthy journalism comes at a price.
Scientists and journalists share a core belief in questioning, observing and verifying to reach the truth. Science News reports on crucial research and discovery across science disciplines. We need your financial support to make it happen – every contribution makes a difference.
All Stories by Saima S. Iqbal
-
Public health researcher Aimee Grant considers autism a cognitive difference, rather than a deficit. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032124_SI_unsung_grant_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032124_SI_unsung_grant_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineAimee Grant investigates the needs of autistic people
The public health researcher focuses on what kinds of support people with autism need rather than on treating the condition as a disease to cure.
-
An African elephant’s skeleton and muscles are projected onto a life-size model in an exhibit that highlights new science on proboscideans. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/011324_reviews_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/011324_reviews_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsA new exhibit invites you into the ‘Secret World of Elephants’
As elephants face survival threats, the American Museum of Natural History highlights their pivotal role in shaping landscapes — and their resilience.
-
Christiaan Huygens’ telescopes weren’t as good as his rivals’, even though his lenses (a few shown with a portrait of Huygens) were well made. That may be because the 17th century astronomer needed glasses. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/121623_YE_past_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/121623_YE_past_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Science & SocietyHistory buffs will dig these 5 science stories from 2023
This year, new science threw the lives (and deaths) of Beethoven and other historical figures into sharp relief.
-
Freelance writer Michelle Hiskey bonds with her dog, Sheba, who may have fallen ill with a more severe form of kennel cough afflicting canines across the United States. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/121523_si_dog-illness_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/121523_si_dog-illness_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsHere are 5 questions about the mystery dog illness making news
Experts suspect a perfect storm of conditions, rather than a new bug, is what’s driving “atypical kennel cough” cases in dogs across the United States.
-
Bottlenosed dolphins occasionally engage in “crater feeding,” sticking their snouts into sand on the seafloor to look for fish. Sensing faint electric fields that fish emit might help the dolphins target their prey. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/112923_SSI_dolphin_feat.jpg.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/112923_SSI_dolphin_feat.jpg.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsFish beware: Bottlenosed dolphins may be able to pick up your heartbeat
Fish, sharks and platypuses are adept at sensing electrical signals living things give off. Bottlenosed dolphins make that list too, studies suggests.
-
Two-cell mouse embryos cultured on the International Space Station and returned to Earth formed blastocysts (some shown). " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/111723_si_mouse-embryos_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/111723_si_mouse-embryos_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsThe first embryos from a mammal have now been grown in space
Mouse embryos in space can develop into clusters of cells called blastocysts. The result is a step toward understanding how human embryos will fare.
-
Tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug, helps derail a strategy that cancer cells exploit to grow. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/110723_si_tamoxifen_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/110723_si_tamoxifen_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineWhy a popular breast cancer drug may be less effective for some Africans
A genetic variant commonly found in certain African populations appears to impair tamoxifen’s ability to tackle breast cancer.
-
At the edge of Peru’s shrinking Uruashraju glacier, grazing llamas improved soil quality in a landscape altered by climate change. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/102423_si_glacier-llama_feature.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/102423_si_glacier-llama_feature.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsAt the foot of a melting glacier in Peru, llamas helped revitalize the land
A partnership between scientists and farmers suggests how llama herding can mitigate some of the impacts of climate change.
-
An analysis of fossilized feathers, including one from the nonavian dinosaur Sinornithosaurus (illustrated), suggests that the fossilization process can leave misleading clues about the evolution of feathers. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/102323_si_dinosaur-feathers_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/102323_si_dinosaur-feathers_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
PaleontologyDinosaur feathers may have been more birdlike than previously thought
Feather proteins can change during fossilization, raising questions about what dinosaur feathers really can tell us about feather evolution.
-
Scientists have engineered silkworms to spin spider silk, an exceptionally strong and stretchy natural fiber. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/092923_si_spider-silk_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/092923_si_spider-silk_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsIn a first, genetically modified silkworms produced pure spider silk
An effort to engineer silkworms to produce spider silk brings us closer than ever to exploiting the extraordinary properties of this arachnid fiber.
-
A new study measures exactly how much coronavirus infected people emit over time just by breathing. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/091923_si_covid-transmission_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/091923_si_covid-transmission_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineHere’s how much coronavirus people infected with COVID-19 may exhale
Just breathing naturally can lead people with COVID-19 to emit dozens of copies of viral RNA a minute and that can persist for eight days, a study finds.