Kristel Tjandra

Kristel Tjandra

Staff Writer

Kristel is a science writer based in the U.S. with a doctorate in chemistry from the University of New South Wales, Australia. She holds a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has appeared in Drug Discovery News, Science, Eos and Mongabay, among other outlets. She received the 2022 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications.

Articles by: Kristel Tjandra

A close up photo of a milk pump and bucket used in the dairy industry, with a black and white cow visible in the background

H5N1 bird flu can remain infectious in raw milk for at least an hour, study finds

By Kristel Tjandra published

Scientists found that contaminated milking equipment can harbor the H5N1 virus for more than an hour, increasing the risk of dairy farmers getting infected.

ancient wine inside a glass urn

2,000-year-old funerary urn found in Spain contains the world's oldest known liquid wine

By Kristel Tjandra published

Scientists discovered the oldest known wine in liquid form inside a Roman-era tomb in Spain.

A faded funerary mask against a black backrgound.

'Exceptional' discovery reveals more than 30 ancient Egyptian tombs built into hillside

By Kristel Tjandra published

The more than 30 tombs include family burials, such as children buried with their parents, in a hillside in Aswan, Egypt.

Purple wildflowers growing on termite mounds

Scientists discovered the oldest termite mounds on Earth — and they're 34,000 years old

By Kristel Tjandra published

The world's oldest termite mounds have been collecting carbon from the atmosphere for thousands of years.

A research vessel in front of a massive iceberg

Giant river system that existed 40 million years ago discovered deep below Antarctic ice

By Kristel Tjandra published

"There was this gigantic river system": Researchers find ancient lost world deep beneath Antarctic ice.

Light-toned Martian rock

'1st of its kind': NASA spots unusually light-colored boulder on Mars that may reveal clues of the planet's past

By Kristel Tjandra published

NASA's Perseverance rover spotted a bizarrely light-toned boulder on Mars, the likes of which have never been seen before.

Deep-sea squid brooding its eggs

Rare video shows elusive deep-sea squid cradling her gigantic, translucent eggs

By Kristel Tjandra published

While navigating a remotely operated vehicle in the Gulf of California, scientists spotted a brooding squid cradling translucent eggs.