Welcome to Think Like a Scientist, a space where curiosity meets clarity. I am McKenzie, a biologist and science communicator who is passionate about helping people understand science without the jargon and confusion. Here you will find stories, explanations, and insights that make science feel less intimidating and more relatable.

“Science and everyday life cannot not and should not be separated.”

Rosalind Franklin (chemist and discoverer of DNA’s structure)

Latest Posts

  • Public Health: Low Funding, High Stakes

    What is public health and why does it matter? Read more here. Continue reading

    Public Health: Low Funding, High Stakes

  • Stem Cells: Science’s Controversial Construction Crew

    Stem cells are one of the most promising and controversial areas of modern science. They have been debated in politics, questioned in ethics, and at the same time celebrated for their potential to save lives. So what is really going… Continue reading

    Stem Cells: Science’s Controversial Construction Crew

  • The World’s Deadliest Animal

    When people hear “deadliest animal,” they usually picture sharks, lions, or snakes. Something big. Something with teeth. But the truth is far more unsettling. The world’s deadliest animal is tiny, fragile-looking, and often dismissed as a nuisance: the mosquito. Despite… Continue reading

    The World’s Deadliest Animal

  • The Life of a Bridgerton

    Dearest Gentle Reader, It is the author’s greatest delight to welcome you into another season, not of courtship and whispered scandals, but of coughs, cures, and curious medical convictions. While the ton may sparkle beneath chandeliers and silk gloves, let… Continue reading

    The Life of a Bridgerton

  • Archaeology in Real Life: No Whips, No Treasure, Just Science

    By Anna Chitwood, Archaeologist Editor’s Note: The following piece is written in the voice of archaeologist Anna Chitwood. Her firsthand experiences working in Cultural Resource Management offer a realistic look at what archaeology looks like outside of movies and pop… Continue reading

    Archaeology in Real Life: No Whips, No Treasure, Just Science

  • A Brief History of Public Health: John Snow

    While Jon Snow knew nothing, John Snow knew exactly where to look. On a cold night in Soho, London, folks were falling sick to cholera. There was no stopping the illness. Everyone was scared they would be next. It was… Continue reading

    A Brief History of Public Health: John Snow

  • You’ve Got mRNA 📬

    While Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have nothing to do with mRNA, mRNA has everything to do with how your body sends mail. Long before it was politicized, debated, or turned into a household acronym, mRNA was simply doing its… Continue reading

    You’ve Got mRNA 📬

  • Defenders of the Body: The Immune System

    Your immune system is one of the most impressive security systems on the planet. It works 24/7, never clocks out, and protects you from an invisible world of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that would love to use your body… Continue reading

    Defenders of the Body: The Immune System

  • A Brief History of Vaccines: Polio

    On a hot summer day in the 1940s, parents across the United States shared the same quiet fear. Swimming pools closed. Movie theaters emptied. Children were kept indoors, not because of storms or war, but because of an invisible enemy… Continue reading

    A Brief History of Vaccines: Polio

  • A Brief History of Public Health: Handwashing

    Today, handwashing is one of the most basic rules of medicine. Posters line hospital walls. Doctors scrub in before surgery. Medical students are trained from day one: clean hands save lives. Continue reading

    A Brief History of Public Health: Handwashing