Miles Martin

Reporter, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences

Miles Martin, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, covers Life Sciences and Physical Sciences for The Academic Times. Prior to that, Miles worked on the media and communications team at Cell Press and as a freelance science writer. He holds an MSc in science communication and public engagement from the University of Edinburgh.

Recent transfer of malaria parasites to monkeys may lead to more outbreaks

By Miles Martin

The genome of Plasmodium simium, a species of malaria parasite that mostly infects monkeys on the coast of Brazil, was found to be extremely similar to that of Plasmodium vivax, the most common cause of recurrent malaria in the Americas, strongly suggesting a recent jump between human and nonhuman primates that could result in new outbreaks of the disease.

Sharks migrate thousands of miles by using the Earth’s magnetic field like a map

By Miles Martin

To navigate across the world for their migrations, sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field like a map to orient themselves towards home, according to a new study from biologists at Florida State University.

Rats' counterintuitive responses to sugar and opioids suggests a complex connection

By Miles Martin

Researchers studying rats have discovered that consuming high-fructose corn syrup alters their response to oxycodone in several contradictory ways, strengthening some aspects of the drug response while dampening others.

New analysis reveals a ‘surprisingly high’ number of landfalling tropical cyclones

By Miles Martin

Researchers reanalyzing historical data on tropical cyclones discovered that over the last four decades, one-quarter of landfalling cyclones over northeastern North America retained their tropical characteristics instead of weakening into a different storm type.

Human disturbances in ash forests are more harmful than wildfires

By Miles Martin

By reconstructing the history of Australia's ash tree forests, researchers revealed that human disturbances from logging and post-fire salvage have more negative effects on the health of the ecosystem than natural disturbances from increasingly common wildfires.

Researchers come one step closer to sequencing all vertebrate genomes

By Miles Martin

Researchers have published the most complete and highest-quality set of reference genomes for 16 vertebrate species, creating a resource that could help scientists address fundamental questions in biology, medicine and biodiversity conservation.

We need more time to save the Great Barrier Reef. Ecosystem interventions could give it to us.

By Miles Martin

By modeling the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef over the next 50 years, researchers were able to determine a set of local interventions that could delay its decline by up to 20 years, allowing more time for global climate initiatives to take effect.

These crustaceans are closely related. But their brains are not.

By Miles Martin

Researchers have determined that the broad range of eye forms in hyperiid amphipods, a small group of microscopic crustaceans, is accompanied by significant variations in the organization of their brains.

Plastic waste can be put to use in nuclear radiation shielding

By Miles Martin

By incorporating recycled waste plastic and other byproducts from the iron and steel industry, researchers have created a more sustainable version of concrete that shields nuclear radiation better than standard concrete.

Inexpensive culture media could ‘democratize’ human stem cell research

By Miles Martin

Researchers have created a highly affordable formula for a human stem cell growth medium that could save labs millions of dollars in reagent costs and eliminate the need for weekend "feeding" of stem cells.

Fluid physics gives new insight into old murder case

By Miles Martin

Inspired by the conviction of music producer Phil Spector for the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, researchers have discovered that when a gun is fired, gas from the muzzle escapes in a series of turbulent vortex rings that can cause blood spatter to reverse direction, splattering away from the shooter instead of toward them.

Single-use plastics dominate debris on the North Pacific's deep ocean floor

By Miles Martin

By doing video surveillance deep in the ocean, researchers working in the North Pacific have discovered the densest accumulation of plastic waste ever recorded on an abyssal seafloor, finding that the majority of this waste is single-use packaging.