Long Live the Albatross
The Atlantic
Reflections on the albatross in life and literature.
Articles and scientific publications
Since the start of her career, Olivia Judson has published more than 250 newspaper and magazine articles, as well as a number of scientific papers. Much of her work explores science—especially biology—for a general audience; she has also written on other subjects, such as bereavement.
Journalism and essays
Selected articles
A selection from work published by The New York Times, National Geographic, The Guardian, The Economist, and others.
August 2019
26 January 2019
My Life Without Sugar (opens in a new tab)
The Guardian
How giving up added sugar changed her life.
November 2016
The Power of Eight (opens in a new tab)
National Geographic
A story about the marvels of the octopus.
May 2015
How to Clone a Mammoth
Financial Times
A review of Beth Shapiro’s book about the science of de-extinction.
March 2015
Luminous Life (opens in a new tab)
National Geographic
A story about lifeforms that make light.
January 2015
Mountain of Life (opens in a new tab)
Smithsonian
A trip to an ancient reef in West Texas.
February 2014
The Task (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
Eight essays about dismantling the family home after her father’s death.
September 2013
Big Bird (opens in a new tab)
National Geographic
A story about Australia’s huge, beautiful and shy cassowaries.
July 2012
Mount Erebus (opens in a new tab)
National Geographic
A trip to find microbial life on an active volcano in Antarctica.
5 January 2010
A Tale of Two Flagella (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
On the strange biology of dinoflagellates.
4 May 2010
Darwin Got It Going On (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
A review of Baba Brinkman, evolutionary rap artist.
13 October 2009
A Long, Melancholy Roar (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
On predators and suicide.
April 2009
Seeing the Light
Natural History
On how other animals see colours in the world.
2 September 2008
Braking the Virus (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
On using genetic engineering to design safer vaccines.
Spring 2008
The Lab Coat Liberation Front (opens in a new tab)
British Society for Cell Biology Newsletter
On a newspaper publishing a manipulated photograph without her consent.
19 February 2008
When Life Goes Cloudy (opens in a new tab)
The New York Times
On how bacteria can cause the formation of clouds.
23 March 2007
Don’t Be a Panda in Your Bedroom (opens in a new tab)
Times Higher Education
A review of Esther Perel’s Mating in Captivity.
25 May 2007
Theatre by Numbers (opens in a new tab)
Prospect
A review of A Disappearing Number, a play about Srinivasa Ramanujan.
1 January 2006
Why I’m Happy I Evolved
The New York Times
An essay on evolution as solace.
18 March 2000
Bill Hamilton (opens in a new tab)
The Economist
An obituary of Olivia Judson’s doctoral supervisor.
11 July 1992
The Sins of the Mothers
The Economist
On how the environment experienced as a fetus can affect health in old age.
Research
Selected scientific publications
2017 · Nature Ecology & Evolution
The energy expansions of evolution (opens in a new tab)
Judson, O. P. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1: Article 0138.
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0138
2005 · Journal of Molecular Evolution
Mitochondrial genetic codes evolve to match amino acid requirements of proteins (opens in a new tab)
Swire, J., Judson, O. P. & Burt, A. Journal of Molecular Evolution 60: 128–139.
DOI: 10.1007/s00239-004-0077-9
2003 · Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Genomic signatures of ancient asexual lineages (opens in a new tab)
Normark, B. B., Judson, O. P. & Moran, N. A. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 79: 69–84.
DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00182.x
1999 · Journal of Molecular Evolution
The genetic code: what is it good for? An analysis of the effects of selection pressures on genetic codes (opens in a new tab)
Judson, O. P. & Haydon, D. Journal of Molecular Evolution 49: 539–550.
DOI: 10.1007/PL00006575
1996 · Trends in Ecology & Evolution
Ancient asexual scandals (opens in a new tab)
Judson, O. P. & Normark, B. B. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 11: 41–46.
DOI: 10.1016/0169-5347(96)81040-8
1995 · Genetical Research
Preserving genes: the maintenance of genetic variation in a metapopulation under frequency-dependent selection (opens in a new tab)
Judson, O. P. Genetical Research 65: 175–191.
DOI: 10.1017/S0016672300033267
1992 · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
“Anting” as food preparation: formic acid is worse on an empty stomach (opens in a new tab)
Judson, O. P. & Bennett, A. T. D. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 31: 437–439.
DOI: 10.1007/BF00170611