Carolyn M. Wilke

Curiosity and wonder journalist

I’m a science journalist who tells stories of discovery that inspire wonder. Here are some highlights from my work.

Stampeding turtles might have made fossil tracks in Italian cliffs

*New York Times,* December 5, 2025

Want to survive in the dark ocean? Use a stinging shield.

*National Geographic,* October 16, 2025

The mysterious origin of Stonehenge’s altar stone might have been solved

*National Geographic,* August 14, 2024

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot may be less than 200 years old

*Science News*, July 17, 2024

In Libya, Assessing Heritage Sites Caught in the Crossfire

*Undark,* April 5, 2023

Do Spiders Dream of Eight-Legged Sheep?

*New York Times*, August 8, 2022

While Other Insects Played, This Species Evolved the Blade

*New York Times*, November 14, 2022

The ancient origins of glass

*Knowable Magazine*, November, 18 2021

What did ancient people eat? Scientists find new clues in old pottery

*Knowable Magazine*, July 21, 2021

One forensic scientist is scraping bones for clues to time of death

*Science News*, February 28, 2022

Image credits in order: Photo by Liam Gamba on Unsplash ;Photo by Alexis Baydoun on Unsplash; Pete Linforth from Pixabay; NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSImage processing by Kevin M. Gill, © CC BY; Ahmed Masoud; Daniela C. Rößler; Peláez et al./Proc. R. Soc. B, 2022; X; Rogers Fund, 1923; Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project from Aouizerat et al/mBio 2019 ; Republica from Pixabay;