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Mariana Lenharo

@marilenharo

Life sciences reporter at Nature.

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08.11.2023
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Latest posts by Mariana Lenharo @marilenharo

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Reporter, Nature News Job Title: Reporter, Nature Location: Washington DC or New York (Hybrid Working Model) Application Deadline: March 27, 2026 About Springer Nature Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit https://go.https://go.https://go.nature.com/4lh1cNV/4lh1cNV/4leI0jL and follow @SpringerNature About the Brand Nature Portfolio’s high-quality journals and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences help move science and society forward. Nature Portfolio is home to the leading, international weekly journal of science, Nature – founded in 1869. It is also home to the Nature research and Nature Reviews journals, the leading open access multidisciplinary journal Nature Communications, and open access journals including Scientific Reports. Together, these journals publish some of the world's most significant scientific discoveries. Online, nature.com provides over nine million unique visitors per month with content, including news and comment from the Nature journal, and the leading scientific jobs board, Nature Careers. As part of Springer Nature, Nature Portfolio also offers a range of researcher services, including online and in-person training. For more information, please visit nature.com and follow @NaturePortfolio About the Role As a Nature News Reporter, you will pitch and write news articles about science and the research community each week for publication in print and online. You will also regularly pitch and write news features, contribute to multimedia, and advise the wider magazine on coverage of your beat. This role will be based in the United States and will have a focus on reporting on the United States and the Americas, with an emphasis on physical sciences, energy and the environment, and technology, including AI. The successful candidate will be comfortable writing stories from any region and interviewing scientists anywhere, and will be an all-rounder with the enthusiasm and curiosity to report across the sciences. Responsibilities Pitch, report, and write a stream of original news and features articles that appeal to Nature’s global audience of working scientists Write clear, accurate, and compelling prose; deliver copy to tight deadlines Regularly find exclusive, original story ideas that appeal to Nature’s audience and drive traffic and engagement Use insights gleaned from audience analytics to guide pitches and framing of stories Keep on top of the global news agenda and suggest angles that will appeal to Nature’s audience of working researchers Build a network of trusted sources leading to exclusive stories Work collaboratively with a team of reporters and editors spread around the world Experience, Skills & Qualifications Essential Experience reporting and writing on scientific developments, science policy or the research community Ability to grasp scientific concepts quickly and write about them clearly Understanding of journalistic values and best practices Bachelor's degree required in journalism or science related fields Desirable Experience writing about physical sciences, energy and the environment, and technology, including AI Knowledge of the US science landscape and/or more broadly that of the Americas Experience working to fast daily deadlines Experience using audience analytics to understand audience interests and drive pitches Understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing working scientists Knowledge in an array of science topics and fields Experience reporting stories in multimedia formats, such as podcast and video To apply please submit: Your updated resume A cover letter explaining your interest in the post, and why you are qualified 3-5 clips that showcase your writing and reporting skills (please submit PDFs - not just links.) Application Deadline: March 27, 2026 Springer Nature Skills associated with this Job Profile include: SN-Publishing Workflows & Systems, SN-Storytelling, SN-Writing Skills, SN-Adaptability, SN-Communicates Effectively, SN-Interpersonal Awareness, SN-Cultivates Innovation, SN-Global Perspective, SN-Governance, Risk and Compliance Management, SN-Social Media Savvy, SN-Journalistic Skills Springer Nature US provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes the benefit offerings listed below: Medical, Dental and Vision 401(k) with company match and contribution Hybrid office working policy, Summer Hours, and paid time off Flexible Spending and Commuter programs Multiple Life insurance options Disability coverage Tuition Assistance Voluntary benefits: Identity Theft Protection, Pet Insurance, and Legal Assistance Insurance Employee Assistance Program Family friendly benefits and a variety of employee discounts An array of Employee Social Networks US Annualized Base Salary Range: $85,000 - $100,000. The salary offer may vary based on work experience, education, skill level, and equity. The US salary range does not align with the salary ranges in other countries when converted to the currency of that country. Springer Nature is an Equal Opportunity Employer that complies with the laws and regulations set forth in the following https://go.nature.com/4lgJhXp poster. At Springer Nature, our mission is to be part of progress – and that begins with inclusion: of people, perspectives, and ideas. We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish. If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. Find out more about our DEI work here: https://go.nature.com/4lmCkUY For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://go.nature.com/4rV8Z6f #LI-EG1 Job Posting End Date: 28-03-2026 We are an ambitious and dynamic organisation, and home to some of the best-known names in research, educational and professional publishing. Working at the heart of a changing industry, we are always looking for great people who care about delivering quality to our customers and the communities we work alongside. In return, you will find that we open the doors to discovery for all our employees – offering opportunities to learn from some of the best in the business, with a culture that encourages curiosity and empowers people to find solutions and act on their instincts. Whether you are at the beginning of your career or are an experienced professional, we invite you to find out more about the roles we offer and explore our current vacancies. We are a global and progressive business, founded on a heritage of trusted and respected brands – including Springer, founded in 1842, Macmillan, founded in 1843 and Nature, first published in 1869. Nearly two centuries of progress and advancement in science and education have helped shape the business we are today. Research and learning continues to be the cornerstone of progress, and we will continue to open doors to discovery through trusted brands and innovative products and services. Springer Nature Group was created in May 2015 through the combination of Nature Publishing Group, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media.

We're hiring at Nature! Our US News team is looking for a reporter based in New York or Washington DC. You'll need reporting and writing experience, along with knowledge of the US science landscape. Apply by March 27 via the link below

go.nature.com/3N8UkFA

06.03.2026 18:20 👍 16 🔁 19 💬 0 📌 1
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Measles is raging worldwide: are you at risk? Cases in fully vaccinated people are rare and usually mild, but are likely to become more common as exposure to the virus rises.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases known to humans, is surging worldwide as vaccination rates drop in many countries. I wrote about who is most at risk for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

09.02.2026 17:08 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How learning handwriting trains the brain: the science behind the cursive wars Handwriting requirements were cut from school curricula around the world. Now it’s looping back, riding on a wave of evidence.

In NJ and around the world, schools are reintroducing mandates to learn cursive writing. Does it make a difference? My colleague @marilenharo.bsky.social digs into the science.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

02.02.2026 17:41 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
How much exercise do you really need?
How much exercise do you really need? YouTube video by nature video

Why do lot thing, when few do trick?

I've got a new film on the surprising benefits of little exercise presented once again by @lizziegibney.bsky.social.

Based on a Feature by @marilenharo.bsky.social, it looks at emerging data from smart devices.

Also I dress as an 80s man.
youtu.be/jskktKzWfys

28.01.2026 10:50 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1
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Still working at 107: supercentenarian study probes genetics of extreme longevity Scientists seek to understand the factors that have allowed people in Brazil to reach their 100th or even 110th birthdays despite facing adversities.

🧬🧪 They didn’t follow especially healthy diets and many had limited access to advanced medical care. Yet they lived past 110. Researchers in Brazil are now looking to their diverse genomes for clues about their longevity.

My latest story for @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

27.01.2026 21:23 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I love this video! Great presentation by @lizziegibney.bsky.social and also worth highlighting the part where you play a fitness influencer! 💪

23.01.2026 20:27 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Watch this video if you want to:

A) Find out how much protein you actually need 🍗
B) You want to see me dress up as a German Chemist from the 1840s 🧪
C) You're a fan of @lizziegibney.bsky.social's amazing presentation style 💃
D) All of the above

21.01.2026 09:45 👍 12 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 1

I stopped putting protein powder in my breakfast after making this video (with producer & extra extraordinaire @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social)

It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!

21.01.2026 10:31 👍 14 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
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How to fight climate change without the US: a guide to global action With the US government absent from the COP30 global climate summit, it will be up to others to avert catastrophe.

My latest — this was a collective effort with colleagues Xiaoying You, @marilenharo.bsky.social, MohanaBasu, Jeff Tollefson, and @celestebiever.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

04.11.2025 08:41 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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How to fight climate change without the US: a guide to global action With the US government absent from the COP30 global climate summit, it will be up to others to avert catastrophe.

US govt abandoned the fight against climate change. So these nations will determine whether the world avoids catastrophic global warming www.nature.com/articles/d41... Great work @castelvecchi.bsky.social @marilenharo.bsky.social @jeff-tollefson.bsky.social @mohanabasu.bsky.social and Xiaoying You

04.11.2025 11:56 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Glowing sperm helps to reveal secrets of mosquito sex Female Aedes mosquitoes signal that copulation can proceed by subtly extending their genitalia.

It turns out female mosquitoes are in charge during sex. A study found they give a subtle signal when they accept a mate, a overturing decades of assumptions about mosquito behavior.

I wrote about this fascinating work by @leahhouri.bsky.social, @leslievosshall.bsky.social et al for @nature.com:

29.10.2025 15:34 👍 25 🔁 6 💬 2 📌 0
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She lived to 117: what her genes and lifestyle tell us about longevity Maria Branyas Morera was the oldest person in the world when she died. Scientists analysed her genes, metabolism and more.

Maria Branyas Morera lived to the age of 117 with a bit of genetic luck and a healthy diet that included daily yogurts, according to a study published today. I wrote about the findings, and what they can tell us about longevity, for @nature.com #longevity #aging #genomics

24.09.2025 18:00 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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How billions of hacked mosquitoes and a vaccine could beat the deadly dengue virus Outbreaks of dengue are killing thousands of people in South America each year and getting worse. Brazil hopes to turn the tide with a home-grown vaccine and an army of mosquitoes infected with Wolbac...

Great feature out today by Lucila Pinto in @nature.com about how Brazil is fighting dengue with special mosquitoes and the promise of a new vaccine #dengue #vaccine #mosquitoes www.nature.com/articles/d41...

16.09.2025 14:16 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
Inside a mosquito factory
Inside a mosquito factory YouTube video by nature video

Ever heard of a mosquito factory?

Fighting mosquito-borne diseases... with more mosquitoes!

Loved working on this vid with @marilenharo.bsky.social for @nature.com 🧪

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Nc...

04.09.2025 14:09 👍 26 🔁 11 💬 1 📌 3

It was a pleasure working with you, Adam. Thank you for such an excellent video!

05.09.2025 15:52 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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This is the world’s largest ‘mosquito factory’: its goal is to stop dengue Raising millions upon millions of disease-fighting mosquitoes per week is no easy task, Nature learnt during its visit to the facility.

🦟 In late June, I visited the largest mosquito factory in the world in Curitiba, Brazil, where I learned about the challenges of mass-producing these disease-fighting insects. Here's my story for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

03.09.2025 15:51 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Other types of submissions | Nature Other types of submissions

Dear Liesbeth, if this piece is a response to the news article, it can be submitted as a correspondence. Here's the submission guideline: www.nature.com/nature/for-a... I'm not an editor in charge of reviewing these submissions, I'm a reporter with Nature's news team, but you're welcome to submit it

28.08.2025 21:10 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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An abiding mystery of the French Revolution is solved — by epidemiology The period of panic and unrest called the Great Fear was triggered by deliberately spread rumours, according to methods borrowed from pandemic playbooks.

The chance encounter of an economist, a pathologist and physicist resulted in a highly multidisciplinary study that used an epidemiological model to trace the spread of rumors in the early days of the French Revolution. I had the chance to cover this fascinating research for @nature.com

27.08.2025 22:01 👍 46 🔁 7 💬 2 📌 0

Thank you to @liadmudrik.bsky.social, @timbayne.bsky.social @birchlse.bsky.social, @anilseth.bsky.social and others who contributed for this story!

29.07.2025 20:50 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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The quest to detect consciousness — in all its possible forms Insights from human brains might inform how scientists search for awareness in other animals and AI.

One of the biggest advances in #consciousness science is using brain scans to detect awareness in unresponsive people, researchers say. I wrote for @nature.com about these techniques and the growing efforts to test animals and AI for signs of an inner life.

29.07.2025 20:50 👍 50 🔁 9 💬 1 📌 0
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Giant map details nerves across a mouse's body: see stunning pics High-resolution imaging method could lead to wiring diagram for the whole body.

🐁 Scientists have created a high-speed imaging system that maps the peripheral nervous system of a mouse in incredible detail, tracing how nerves connect the brain to the rest of the body. It takes just 40 hours. My latest story for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

10.07.2025 21:17 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Obesity drugs show promise for treating a new ailment: migraine Liraglutide, a member of the family of blockbuster weight-loss drugs, reduces headaches by half in a small study.

Can weight-loss drugs treat migraines?

A small pilot study suggests that liraglutide, a GLP-1 drug, might halve migraine frequency in people with obesity. The results are preliminary, but experts say they’re promising.

I wrote about it for @nature.com:

#Migraine #ObesityDrugs #GLP-1

27.06.2025 14:03 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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NIH-funded science must now be free to read instantly: what you should know US biomedical agency’s public-access policy kicks in on 1 July. Nature talks to specialists about how to comply.

From July 1, NIH-funded researchers must make their papers freely available as soon as they’re published. In this piece for @nature.com, I explain what researchers need to know about the new public access policy www.nature.com/articles/d41...

26.06.2025 22:47 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? UN in talks with governments and funding bodies to save highly cited, 40-year health data set used by researchers in more than 90 countries.

The US pulled funding for the world’s most-cited global health survey, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Now the UN, Gates Foundation & others are racing to save it. My story for @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

25.06.2025 20:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Medicine's rapid adoption of AI has researchers concerned Hospitals and universities must step up to fill gaps in regulation, experts say.

Hospitals across the US are embracing AI tools for diagnosis and care. But experts warn that current regulations aren’t enough to keep patients safe. I spoke with researchers calling for oversight beyond the FDA. My latest story for @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

09.06.2025 21:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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NIH grant cuts will axe clinical trials abroad — and could leave thousands without care US agency’s new policy could abruptly end studies of infectious diseases and cancer, leaving researchers scrambling for funds.

Researcher Amita Gupta has spent more than a decade planning and running a $70-million trial to study a new tuberculosis drug, enrolling ~6,000 participants in 13 countries. It might all have been for nothing.

That's because a new NIH policy has abruptly cut off billions to trials abroad. 🧪

02.06.2025 15:12 👍 470 🔁 323 💬 7 📌 26
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The ‘pivot penalty’: scientists get cited less after switching fields, analysis finds Massive study of nearly 26 million research papers measures the consequences of striking out in another research area.

A massive study published today in @nature.com shows that scientists who switch to a new research field receive fewer citations. The bigger the shift, the steeper the 'pivot penalty'. I spoke with the study’s authors and with science policy researchers about the implications of the findings.

28.05.2025 16:17 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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AI tool flags people at high risk of post-partum depression Model could be used by hospitals to identify people who would benefit from preventive measures.

Postpartum depression affects around 17% of new parents worldwide, yet often goes undetected until symptoms are severe. For @nature.com, I wrote about a machine-learning model that aims to identify who’s most at risk before symptoms start, helping target preventive care more effectively.

22.05.2025 19:33 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Chart showing results of Nature survey. A minority of researchers say they have used generative AI to edit, translate, or write their papers. 

Edit paper: 
18% said 'yes, I've done this without disclosing AI use'
10% said 'yes, I've done this and I disclosed AI use'
43% said: 'no, I've not done this but would be willing to'
29% said 'no, I've not done this and wouldn't consider it'.

Chart showing results of Nature survey. A minority of researchers say they have used generative AI to edit, translate, or write their papers. Edit paper: 18% said 'yes, I've done this without disclosing AI use' 10% said 'yes, I've done this and I disclosed AI use' 43% said: 'no, I've not done this but would be willing to' 29% said 'no, I've not done this and wouldn't consider it'.

A minority of researchers - under 30% - have used AI to edit or write their papers, according to a Nature survey published today.

Those that have used AI, more often than not didn't disclose it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com

14.05.2025 11:43 👍 54 🔁 19 💬 5 📌 12
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Breaking language barriers: ‘Not being fluent in English is often viewed as being an inferior scientist’ Biologist Tatsuya Amano works to make science a fairer place for non-fluent speakers.

As someone whose first language isn’t English, I relate to @tatsuya-amano.bsky.social’s mission to make science more inclusive for non-fluent English speakers. I interviewed him for @nature.com's Changemakers Q&A series. The piece was published in Feb, while I was on maternity leave. Enjoy the read!

13.05.2025 18:46 👍 15 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1