Aimee Cunningham

Aimee Cunningham

Biomedical Writer

Biomedical writer Aimee Cunningham is on her second tour at Science News. From 2005 to 2007, she covered chemistry, environmental science, biology and materials science for Science News.  Between stints Aimee was a freelance writer for outlets such as NPR and Scientific American Mind. She has a degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. She received the 2019 Award for Excellence in Science and Medical Journalism from the Endocrine Society for the article "Hormone replacement makes sense for some menopausal women."

All Stories by Aimee Cunningham

  1. Health & Medicine

    Blocking an aging-related enzyme may restore muscle strength

    Treating old mice with a drug that inhibits a “gerozyme” restored muscle strength, which can diminish with aging.

  2. Health & Medicine

    A classical lullaby helped reduce newborns’ pain during heel pricks

    Methods to lessen pain for newborns during routine procedures include cuddling and a dose of a sugar solution. Music also appears promising.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Climate change puts children’s health at risk now and in the future

    Heat waves, wildfires and other climate-related effects on the environment are particularly hard on children’s physical and mental health.

  4. Health & Medicine

    How over-the-counter birth control pills could improve reproductive health

    The switch to over-the-counter access for a birth control pill will circumvent certain barriers and help improve reproductive autonomy.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Women who’ve had breast cancer can safely pause treatment for pregnancy

    Hormone therapy cannot be taken during pregnancy. A new study is reassuring for women who’ve had breast cancer and want to try for a baby.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Fentanyl deaths have spiked among U.S. children and teens

    Wider access to naloxone, which reverses the deadly effect of fentanyl, is key as more children are exposed to the opioid, experts say.

  7. Humans

    ‘Period’ wants to change how you think about menstruation

    Kate Clancy offers fascinating science and history about the uterus and menstruation in her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation.

  8. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, air pollution was linked to more reports of animal bites

    Scientists spent decades tying air pollution to health and behavior problems. Now, there’s more evidence that dirty air influences aggression in animals.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Maternal deaths in the U.S. keep climbing

    New U.S. data show that as maternal deaths rise, a large gap between the maternal mortality rate of Black women compared with white women persists.

  10. Health & Medicine

    My mammogram revealed I have dense breasts. What does that mean?

    Nearly half of U.S. women have dense breasts. A new FDA rule makes notification of breast density national. Here’s the scoop on why.

  11. Neuroscience

    ‘Mommy brain’ doesn’t capture how the brain transforms during pregnancy

    During the transition to motherhood, there's more going on than “momnesia,” neuroscientists argue. The brain changes to prep for the job of caregiving

  12. Health & Medicine

    Too much of this bacteria in the nose may worsen allergy symptoms

    Hay fever sufferers have an overabundance of Streptococcus salivarius. The mucus-loving bacteria boost inflammation, causing an endlessly runny nose.