Jessica Breavington

Jessica Breavington: science communicator with Science Connected

Jessica Breavington is a science communicator with Science Connected and a student at Durham University studying Natural Sciences in biology, geography, and earth science. As an extensive traveler, she has observed first-hand the human impacts on the environment and the effect of climate change on the natural world.


plankton predict red sea fishing success

Plankton Predict Red Sea Fishing Success

Phytoplankton blooms hold the key to setting sustainable and fair fishing quotas each year—a win-win situation for the economy and the ecosystem. By Jessica Breavington The Red Sea is a key reef ecosystem supporting many marine species, but it is also under pressure from climate change and exploitation from fishing. Researchers are developing new ways ...
Climate Change: global aridity

Climate Change: Hot and Dry for Some

Climate change is here and it’s not good. The very near future promises to be hotter and dryer in some places. Find out what the numbers really mean. By Jessica Breavington International climate change negotiations have set a 1.5 to 2 degree limit for global warming. A couple degrees of heat might not seem like ...
A team of researchers led by professor Brian Fields hypothesizes that a supernova about 65 light-years away may have contributed to the ozone depletion and subsequent mass extinction of the late Devonian Period, 359 million years ago. Pictured is a simulation of a nearby supernova colliding with and compressing the solar wind. Earth's orbit, the blue dashed circle, and the Sun, red dot, are shown for scale. (Graphic courtesy Jesse Miller)

Did exploding stars cause this mass extinction?

Researchers at the University of Illinois think supernova explosions triggered the end-Devonian mass extinction 359 million years ago. By Jessica Breavington Researchers at the University of Illinois have hypothesized that supernova explosions could have triggered the end-Devonian mass extinction 359 million years ago. Immediately after a supernova, life would have been subjected to damaging X-rays, ...
Plastic pollution

Ocean Plastic Mounts Despite Cleanups

Ocean plastic is accumulating rapidly, but reducing plastic waste and improving surface cleanup technology can make a difference in the future. By Jessica Breavington Plastic is accumulating in certain areas of the ocean, but surface cleanup does little to reduce its amount. The solution is to reduce plastic waste and stop it from reaching the ...

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