Ethan Freedman

Ethan Freedman

Live Science Contributor

Ethan Freedman is a science and nature journalist based in New York City, reporting on climate, ecology, the future and the built environment. He went to Tufts University, where he majored in biology and environmental studies, and has a master's degree in science journalism from New York University.

Latest articles by Ethan Freedman

Great White Shark near the surface.

Great white sharks have almost no interest in eating humans, study confirms

By Ethan Freedman published

Juvenile great white sharks are near to people in Southern California nearly every day but rarely bite them.

Sharks
mexican magic mushrooms lit in pink and blue lights with a black background

Fungi seem to 'sweat' to stay cool and scientists don't know why

By Ethan Freedman published

This discovery reveals a mostly unstudied but apparently universal aspect of fungal life.

Plants
An octopus in a laboratory changing from white to orange and swimming away

Watch an octopus waking up from what scientists think could have been a nightmare

By Ethan Freedman published

The male octopus was repeatedly filmed violently jolting awake from sleep and engaging in unusual activities, but exactly what prompted this odd behavior is unclear.

Octopuses
Close-up of a yellow-fever mosquito biting human skin. It's a culicidae vector of malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue and zika virus in Brazil, known locally as mosquito da dengue.

Which animal kills the most people every year?

By Ethan Freedman published

Of all the creatures on Earth, one insect is responsible for the most human deaths.

Insects
A detailed image of planet Earth created from photographs taken by Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the new Suomi NPP satellite. Here we can see North America.

How do we know how old Earth is?

By Ethan Freedman published

By measuring radioactive elements in rocks from Earth and other parts of the solar system, scientists can develop a timeline of our planet's early years.

Planet Earth
Salamandra salamandra terrestris (fire salamander) sitting on a tree stump. It is black with yellow spots.

What's the difference between poison and venom?

By Ethan Freedman published

Poisonous and venomous animals can kill, but their toxins are delivered different ways.

Animals
An artist's interpretation of the newfound giant petrel ripping into a dead seal about 3 million years ago in what is now New Zealand.

3 million years ago, this brutish giant petrel likely eviscerated dead seals with its knife-like beak

By Ethan Freedman published

Fossils from New Zealand reveal the existence of a giant petrel with a wicked sharp beak that lived 3 million years ago.

Fossils
Little brown mouse next to a huge piece of swiss cheese

Do mice really like cheese?

By Ethan Freedman published

Do mice like eating cheese, or is it a myth?

Land Mammals
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