Los Angeles freelance science writer and editor
by Janice Nigro If you had asked me a month ago what I knew about bats, I would have said, “They are the only flying mammals on Earth.” That’s it. While the world has been spinning out of control in the last two months over the Covid-19 pandemic, I have spent a portion of my... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro I’ve been doing my part during the lockdown. Staying indoors for most of my days. Fooling myself that I am doing some exercise in 500 square feet of space. Working on my projects. It’s kind of business as usual for me. Marketing, writing, and editing. Although it's harder for me to remember... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro I’m not sick and I hope the dreaded coronavirus (or any other disease) is not currently taking up residence inside your body. I’m not enjoying this particular period of time in American history for many reasons. But there’s another way to look at all of this. It’s as if the whole world... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro I always wondered what good I would be to society as a cancer biologist if the apocalypse happened. Now I know. Not very much. Most of us are waking up to the sobering reality at how less than fundamental our jobs are to basic human survival. We’re fluff. Even a scientist, after... Continue Reading →
Janice Nigro I just got done discussing how much I dislike New Year's resolutions, and now here I am writing about them. Because if you're like me, New Year’s resolutions set up a certain dilemma. Panic sets in already on New Year’s Eve when the pact with the new year might fall apart at the... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro My colleagues and I just submitted a scientific paper we have been working on for seven years. Seven years. It’s hard for me to admit that. Maybe I shouldn’t admit it. A lot can happen in seven years. Babies have been born, and people spread around the western world like they were... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Like a lot of beginning business writers, I waver between those moments of feeling like an imposter and feeling professional. The only way to gain confidence is to go out and do the job. “Say yes” people tell me. Saying yes is the easy part. “Saying yes, 50% deposit thank you very... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro A great irony in science is how generic we scientists often write about it. We use clichéd lines. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show X…” Or “However, X still remains unknown.” Or my favorite, “Such and such cancer is the most aggressive tumor type in... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro I have never written a scientific review. Admitting that is like saying I never achieved expert status in anything as a scientist. It’s partly true. Many journals solicit review articles only from so-called experts in a field. I have simply never been asked. But my training was to focus on generating data... Continue Reading →
Long form blogging is in... by Janice Nigro My New Year's resolution backfired this year. It was one of those that turned out to be the exact opposite of someone else’s New Year's resolution. Yeah, I am talking about the kind where someone decides to become devoted to someone or something only to discover that the someone... Continue Reading →
