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Richard Sima, freelance science writer

Richard J. Sima

Richard Sima is a science writer based in Baltimore, Md. He covers the environmental and life sciences and has written for Eos, Scientific American, Discover, and elsewhere. He has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree in neurobiology from Harvard College.

Expansive flat landscape marked by large flat stones.
Posted inNews

Cosmological Tool Helps Archaeologists Map Earthly Tombs

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 18 August 202126 October 2021

A new study employs a method originally developed to help map stars and galaxies to describe how ancient tombs are clustered. The research helps archaeologists studying remote or inaccessible sites.

Rectangular to hexagonally shaped orange, blue, and white crystals on a black background. Crystals have concentric growth zones of varying colors.
Posted inNews

A New Tool May Make Geological Microscopy Data More Accessible

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 27 May 20214 January 2023

PiAutoStage can automatically digitize and send microscope samples to students and researchers on the cheap and from a distance.

Tourist-style posters of sea level rise displayed in New York
Posted inGeoFIZZ

Rising Sea Levels Bring a Tidal Change to Tourism

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 22 April 202126 October 2021

A series of industry posters reimagines iconic locales in light of sea level rise and issues a call for action against climate change.

A road south of Wasilla, Alaska, and the ground around that was shattered by back-to-back magnitude 7 and 5.7 earthquakes.
Posted inFeatures

Where Do People Fit into a Global Hazard Model?

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 23 February 20213 November 2021

By incorporating human systems, scientists are modeling geohazards with equity in mind.

Researchers walk atop the banks of an ancient canal in the Kazakh desert.
Posted inNews

Drought, Not War, Felled Some Ancient Asian Civilizations

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 28 January 20218 March 2023

Radiocarbon dating, luminescent sand grains, and climate records point to drought as the reason for the civilizations’ demise.

The behinds of two giraffes as they walk toward a couple of elephants on a dirt road in Kruger National Par
Posted inNews

Protected Areas Are Not Safe from Climate Change

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 12 November 20208 September 2022

A new study showing the most vulnerable protected areas—the poles and the subtropics—could help prioritize their care.

A group of people stand looking out to the horizon from a mountainside during an Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) trip.
Posted inFeatures

Mentorship During a Pandemic: Transitions from Lab and Sea to Virtual

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 13 October 202022 November 2021

With mentorship having gone virtual this past summer, three geosciences programs offer case studies about how to form meaningful connections during a time of social distancing.

Group of men and women, some with walking sticks and one in a wheelchair, collects data in a field near a mountain
Posted inFeatures

Accessibility and Fieldwork in the Time of Coronavirus

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 23 July 202023 February 2023

Fieldwork in the geosciences is increasingly relying on groundwork laid by accessibility advocates.

Gold dome of Shwedagon Pagoda dominates the skyline
Posted inNews

A Golden Opportunity to Save Shwedagon Pagoda’s Acclaimed Dome

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 10 July 20206 January 2023

The dome is replaced every 5 years, and researchers are studying how to make the gold more durable.

Photo of a low rock jetty separating the ocean from a fish pond
Posted inNews

El Agua Subterránea es la “Conexión Occulta” Entre la Tierra y el Océano

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 18 June 202030 November 2022

La importancia del agua subterránea dulce para los ecosistemas costeros es revelada utilizando el primer modelo numérico a escala global.

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Kuroshio Intrusions into Luzon Strait Increase Chlorophyll

11 June 202510 June 2025
Editors' Vox

Rising Concerns of Climate Extremes and Land Subsidence Impacts

9 June 20254 June 2025
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