Dan Robitzski Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

Dan is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles who joined The Scientist as a reporter and editor in 2021. Ironically, Dan’s undergraduate degree and brief career in neuroscience inspired him to write about research rather than conduct it, culminating in him earning a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University in 2017. In 2018, an Undark feature Dan and colleagues began at NYU on a questionable drug approval decision at the FDA won first place in the student category of the Association of Health Care Journalists' Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. Now, Dan writes and edits stories on all aspects of the life sciences for the online news desk, and he oversees the “The Literature” and “Modus Operandi” sections of the monthly TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. Read more of his work at danrobitzski.com.

Artist’s rendering of various orange and pink colored bacteria

Q&A: What if Immune Cells Don’t Actually Detect Viruses and Bacteria?

Dan Robitzski | Feb 3, 2023 | 10+ min read

The Scientist spoke with Jonathan Kagan about his idea that immune cells respond to “errors” made by unsuccessful pathogens, not the pathogens themselves.

Microscopy view of cancerous human cervix cells stained violet.

Why Some HPV Infections Carry More Cervical Cancer Risk

Dan Robitzski | Feb 2, 2023 | 5 min read

Where and how human papillomavirus integrates itself into the human genome steers the infection’s clinical outcomes, finds a large, multifaceted study.

Glass blown and sculpted model of the golden bellapple (<em>Passiflora laurifolia</em>)

Glass Menagerie, 1863–1936

Dan Robitzski | Feb 1, 2023 | 3 min read

The father-and-son duo Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka crafted thousands of scientifically accurate models of plants and sea creatures as teaching aids.

Glass-blown and sculpted model of the sea anemone (<em>Phymactis florida</em>)

Slideshow: The Lifelike Glass Models of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka

Dan Robitzski | Feb 1, 2023 | 3 min read

The father-and-son duo, the last generations of a long line of renowned glassworkers, crafted thousands of realistic models of plants and sea creatures.

Closeup of a pair of hands in blue gloves holding a white mouse and injecting it with an amber colored liquid.

Opioids Recruit the Immune System to Cause Withdrawal Symptoms

Dan Robitzski | Jan 25, 2023 | 6 min read

A study finds that T cells induced by heroin cross the blood-brain barrier to wreak havoc on the brain, hinting at new ways to prevent withdrawal.

Artist’s rendition of a neuron silhouetted against a glowing red background.

SNO-y Protein Levels Help Explain Why More Women Develop Alzheimer’s

Dan Robitzski | Jan 6, 2023 | 4 min read

Female postmortem brains contain more S-nitrosylated C3 proteins, likely linked to menopause, which instruct immune cells to kill neuronal synapses.

A collection of images from previous neuroscience articles, including those of an octopus in a chamber, artistic renditions of a brain, brain scans, and an image of neural connections in vitro.

Our Favorite Neuroscience Stories of 2022

Dan Robitzski | Dec 28, 2022 | 4 min read

This year, neuroscience researchers made important discoveries related to how neurodegeneration attacks the human brain, hooked cultured neurons up to machinery to teach them to play a video game, and more.

A collection of images from prior stories, including illustrations of DNA, chromosomes, and various cells, microscopy images of cancer cells, and a photo of a mouse on a treadmill.

Our Favorite Cancer Stories of 2022

Dan Robitzski | Dec 27, 2022 | 4 min read

This year, cancer researchers uncovered a variety of ways that tumors can survive and spread, ranging from damaging their own DNA to exploiting the nearby microenvironment for nutrients.

Artist’s rendition of two X chromosomes in blue, with a glowing orange line swirling around one.

Male and Female Stem Cells Derived from One Donor in Scientific First

Dan Robitzski | Dec 22, 2022 | 3 min read

Studying otherwise identical XY, XX, X0, and XXY pluripotent stem cells will allow researchers to investigate sex-based differences in greater depth.

A sign at the entrance to the University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Striking Workers Unions Reach Tentative Deal

Dan Robitzski | Dec 20, 2022 | 2 min read

The agreement, which is not yet ratified, would increase academic workers’ salaries, but some call for an ongoing strike as the raises are less than desired.