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Rachael Moeller Gorman

Rachael Moeller Gorman

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from Williams College, Rachael spent two years studying the tiny C. elegans worm as a lab tech at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. She then returned to school to get a master’s degree in environmental studies from Brown University, and subsequently worked as an intern at Scientific American, Discover magazine, and the Annals of Improbable Research, the originators of the yearly Ig Nobel prizes. She now freelances for both scientific and lay publications, and loves telling the stories behind the science. Find her at rachaelgorman.com or on Instagram @rachaelmoellergorman.

Articles by Rachael Moeller Gorman
masked teacher sitting on floor showing masked students something on a tablet
Does Science Support Lifting School Mask Mandates?
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Feb 28, 2022 | 10+ min read
The CDC has given the OK to lift indoor mask mandates in much of the US, and a growing number of states no longer require face coverings in schools. But most experts agree that masks slow school spread of SARS-CoV-2, and whether now is the right time to allow teachers and students to unmask is a matter of debate.
red defocused lights
Retrotransposon RNA Triggers NLRC4 Inflammasome Formation: Study
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Dec 10, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers identify a sensor that sets off inflammation in the absence of infection when it detects RNA from the mobile genetic elements.
masked boy sitting in classroom raising his hand
Shrinking Quarantine
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Oct 15, 2021 | 9 min read
The CDC now suggests that only children who were within 3 feet, not 6 feet, of an infected student should quarantine, provided they were masked in a classroom. Does the science support this change?
a trench with footprints tagged
Ancient Human Footprints in New Mexico Dated to Ice Age
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Sep 23, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers excavated human footprints out of a small bluff next to a dried-up playa lake and radiocarbon-dated embedded seeds to around 23,000 years ago. Their results suggest that people entered the Americas thousands of years earlier than the accepted estimate.
white and yellow colonies growing on a petri dish
Gut Fungi Hamper Radiation Therapy in Mice with Cancer
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Aug 11, 2021 | 3 min read
Depleting intestinal fungi allows radiation to effectively fight cancer, likely because the microbes influence the antitumor immune response.
hiit high intensity interval training exercise histamine receptor fexofenadine ranitidine famotidine h1 h2 receptor
Regular HIIT Exercise Enhances Health via Histamine
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Apr 21, 2021 | 4 min read
Men given high doses of two antihistamine drugs did not experience the same benefits of high intensity interval training that men on a placebo enjoyed, revealing some of the molecular underpinnings of exercise’s effect.
Pharma Looks to Inflammasome Inhibitors as All-Around Therapies
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Apr 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Many major biopharmaceutical companies are developing or acquiring drugs that target the NLRP3 inflammasome, a large intracellular complex that researchers say can spark inflammation and stoke diseases of lifestyle and aging.
major depressive disorder depression microbiome bacteria virus phage bacteriophage metabolite metabolomics
Distinct Microbiome and Metabolites Linked with Depression
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Dec 9, 2020 | 4 min read
The gastrointestinal tracts of people with major depressive disorder harbor a signature composition of viruses, bacteria, and their metabolic products, according to the most comprehensive genomic and metabolomic analysis in depression to date.
Infographic: A Cellular Defense Against Ebola Virus
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Dec 1, 2020 | 1 min read
A recent study sheds light on a previously unknown mechanism for fending off the pathogen, and potentially other viruses as well.
Immune Genes Protect Cells from Ebola Virus and SARS-CoV-2
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Dec 1, 2020 | 3 min read
A pathway involved in the adaptive immune system, a relative newcomer in the world of pathogen defense, may have a more ancient role in protecting cells from invading viruses.
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