I’m a science journalist and researcher at The Watchers, contributing to the Epicenter edition, where I cover peer-reviewed scientific research and emerging discoveries across Earth and space sciences. With a background in astronomy and a passion for environmental science, I’ve worked in shark and coral conservation in Fiji, conducting reef and shark-behavior research, contributing to mangrove restoration, and earning PADI Open Water and Coral Reef Certifications. I bring a blend of scientific rigor and storytelling to illuminate the discoveries shaping our planet and beyond.

  • How the polar vortex shapes winter weather across the mid-latitudes

    A polar vortex is a rotating mass of cold, dense air in the winter stratosphere, extending vertically from about 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 miles) to 50 km (31 miles) altitude and typically monitored at levels like 10 hPa at roughly 30 km (18.6 miles) above the surface. Its strength and shape influence the jet stream, altering the probability of cold-air outbreaks across North America and Europe for several weeks after major disturbances.

  • Main driver of Sargassum blooms in the Atlantic Ocean revealed

    A new study from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry identifies equatorial upwelling of phosphorus-rich deep water as the primary driver behind the record Sargassum blooms affecting the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and northern South America. Researchers show that this nutrient supply strengthens nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria living on Sargassum, giving the algae a competitive advantage that has intensified since 2011 and contributed to a new negative record of biomass this year.

  • Fresh meteoroid strike on Mars exposes rare dust avalanches and new surface activity

    A meteoroid impact near Apollinaris Mons triggered more than one hundred new slope streaks that were imaged by ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on December 24, 2023. Additional analysis shows the impact and streak formation occurred between 2013 and 2017, offering a rare example of modern surface change on Mars that scientists can link directly to a specific event.

  • Ancient Mesoamerican builders shaped a cosmic city in Mexico 3 000 years ago

    Archaeologists in southeastern Mexico uncovered a vast ceremonial complex at Aguada Fénix, dating to about 1 000 B.C. The site measures nearly 1.4 km (0.9 miles) long, 400 metres (0.25 miles) wide, and 9–15 m (30–50 ft) high, making it the oldest and largest known monument in the Maya region.

  • Why tropical cyclone survivors keep dying weeks after the storm ends

    A global study spanning 217 tropical cyclones and 14.8 million deaths across nine countries has found that people continue dying for weeks after storms end. The most common post-cyclone deaths are from kidney and metabolic diseases, not injuries, revealing a silent global health crisis in the wake of extreme weather.