Stories by Kelso Harper

Kelso Harper is an award-winning multimedia editor at Scientific American. As a producer, editor and host, they work on short documentaries, social videos and Scientific American's podcast Science Quickly. They have a bachelor's in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and a master's in science writing from MIT. Previously, they worked with WIRED, Science, Popular Mechanics, and MIT News. Follow them on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Robert Bullard wears a white shirt and stands over a flooded drainage area that is surrounded by mud

InequalitySeptember 19, 2023

The Father of Environmental Justice Reflects on the Movement He Helped to Start

Four decades into his activism, Robert Bullard looks back on his legacy and the work ahead.

Carin Leong, Kelso Harper

Animation of the Europa Clipper mission making a flyby of the moon with Jupiter in the background

Planetary ScienceSeptember 18, 2023

Ada Limón’s Poem for Europa, Jupiter’s Smallest Galilean Moon

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón discusses her involvement in NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and the inspiration behind her poem, which will travel onboard the spacecraft.

Brianne Kane, Kelso Harper, Carin Leong

Bees flying through the air in slow motion in front of a blurred green background

Artificial IntelligenceSeptember 11, 2023

Scientists Are Beginning to Learn the Language of Bats and Bees Using AI

The new field of digital bioacoustics is using machine learning to try decipher animal speak, including honeybee toots and quacks and whoops.

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper, Jeffery DelViscio

A short video loop of the sun rising and lowering over the horizon.

Climate ChangeMay 22, 2023

Heat Waves Are Breaking Records. Here’s What You Need to Know

From North America to South Asia, summer heat waves are becoming longer, stronger and more frequent with climate change.

Andrea Thompson, Kelso Harper, Alexa Lim

Artificial IntelligenceApril 24, 2023

AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them

Humans are building meaningful relationships with AI chatbots. What will the consequences be?

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper

GIF of the Ariane 5 rocket taking off with JUICE onboard

AstronomyApril 19, 2023

A Mission to Jupiter’s Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.

Clara Moskowitz, Lee Billings, Kelso Harper

An animated robot is overlain with animated text reading, "Does GPT-4 know MORE than YOU?"

Artificial IntelligenceApril 14, 2023

What You Need to Know about GPT‑4

The AI GPT-4 has emergent abilities—but that’s not why it’s scary.

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper, Tulika Bose

NutritionApril 12, 2023

We Have Good News for Coffee Lovers

A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count.

Tanya Lewis, Josh Fischman, Kelso Harper

A view of an open-plan office with cubicles but no walls

PsychologyApril 3, 2023

Open Offices Aren’t Working, so How Do We Design an Office That Does?

Insights from Deaf and autistic communities could finally make office spaces better for everyone.

Kelso Harper, George Musser

A man and a woman surrounded by the text "This week on Your Health, Quickly: LONG COVID'S ROOTS IN THE BRAIN"

Public HealthMarch 29, 2023

Long COVID’s Roots in the Brain: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 3

Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system.

Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Kelso Harper

Artificial IntelligenceMarch 17, 2023

Squeak Squeak, Buzz Buzz: How Researchers Are Using AI to Talk to Animals

The burgeoning field of “digital bioacoustics” is helping us understand animals like never before.

Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper

A young woman in a mask and glasses is examined by a doctor.

MedicineMay 19, 2022

The Weight of Stigma: Heavier Patients Confront the Burden of Bias

Research shows that antifat bias lowers the quality of care for higher-weight patients. Here is one patient’s story

Kelso Harper

A women in a mask being seen in a doctor's office.

DietNovember 18, 2021

The Weight Game: How Body-Size Bias Can Hold Back Health Science

For decades, assumptions about weight have clouded our view of health

Kelso Harper, Retro Report

Natural DisastersFebruary 12, 2021

Miniature Satellites Reveal Cause of Deadly Uttarakhand Flood That Devastated Dams

The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects in the Himalayas

Kelso Harper

Public HealthNovember 17, 2020

Vaping Industry Echoes Big Tobacco’s Misleading Call for Science

To understand the battle over e-cigarettes, one must look to history—and big tobacco

Kit R. Roane, Jeffery DelViscio, Kelso Harper, Retro Report

Climate ChangeJanuary 15, 2020

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods: A New Climate-Related Threat from Above

As the climate changes and glaciers melt, a lesser-known threat lurks in alpine areas: glacial lake outburst floods. These events happen rapidly, releasing huge amounts of water with little or no warning. Unsuspecting communities lying in the flood path can suffer serious losses.

Researchers seek better ways to predict these outburst floods and mitigate their danger. Take a hike through the Swiss Alps with glaciologist Fabian Walter to learn about this phenomenon and our ongoing efforts to understand it.

Kelso Harper

Space & PhysicsNovember 19, 2019

Chandra: Two Decades of Seeing the Universe in a Different Light

The Chandra X-ray observatory is celebrating 20 years in space this year, and oh, the things it has seen. Belinda Wilkes, who directs the telescopes operation, takes you on a dizzying visual tour of Chandra's universe.

Jeffery DelViscio, Kelso Harper