Rebecca Dzombak

Rebecca Dzombak is a science writer covering the natural world and humans' role in it, past, present and future. She holds a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

All Stories by Rebecca Dzombak

  1. A photo of several capybaras walking through a grassy park area in the foreground while in the background are four identical tall buildings seen above the trees.
    Life

    Capybaras thrive, even near humans, because they’re not picky eaters

    Scientists didn’t expect capybaras to eat both grasses and forest plants. The rodents’ flexible diet helps them live everywhere from cities to swamps.

  2. a team working to destroy an unexploded missile. Two people stand around a small post in a dug-up portion of field, with a blue vehicle in the distance
    Science & Society

    Russia’s invasion could cause long-term harm to Ukraine’s prized soil

    War will physically and chemically damage Ukraine’s prized, highly fertile chernozem soils. The impacts on agriculture could last for years.

  3. underwater scene of coral on ocean floor with fish swimming around
    Environment

    Corals may store a surprising amount of microplastics in their skeletons

    In tropical waters, coral reefs may be a “sink” for tiny bits of plastic debris. It’s unclear how corals’ trash pickup might affect reef health.

  4. A flock of greater flamingos standing in water
    Animals

    Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink

    During mating season, flamingos rub a makeup-like rouge on their necks to catch the eye of the opposite sex. They don’t bother once chicks are born.

  5. a fossil of an ancient horseshoe crab in brownish rock, with white marks showing the fossilized brain
    Paleontology

    How fossilization preserved a 310-million-year-old horseshoe crab’s brain

    A 310-million-year-old horseshoe crab’s brain was preserved in clay, thanks to an uncommon fossilization process that protected the fragile neural tissues.