Maya Wei-Haas
National Geographic
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Maya:
The women codebreakers of World War II
How more than 10,000 women worked with the U.S. military to help end the war → Read More
The volcanic explosion in Tonga destroyed an island—and created many mysteries
"Everything so far about this eruption is off-the-scale weird," from its deafening blast to its Pacific-wide tsunami. → Read More
See a rare baby dinosaur curled up in its fossilized egg
One of the most complete dino embryos ever found shows the ancient infant tucked into a position that's strikingly similar to today’s unhatched chickens. → Read More
How volcanic eruptions help nourish the world
While their blasts can no doubt wreak devastation, they also create a fresh canvas that fosters life of every hue. → Read More
Deepest earthquake ever detected struck 467 miles beneath Japan
If confirmed, the temblor would be a shock to geologists who thought rocks that deep inside Earth were too putty-like to break and shake. → Read More
Stunning footprints push back human arrival in Americas by thousands of years
The tracks at New Mexico’s White Sands National Park are upending past assumptions on when humans first ventured into North and South America. → Read More
Fossilized egg from prehistoric giant turtle reveals baby inside
The turtle that laid the egg may have had a shell as long as a person is tall, roaming the Earth alongside the dinosaurs. → Read More
‘Dragon Man’ skull may be new species, shaking up human family tree
Hidden down a well for decades, the stunningly complete cranium is stirring debate about the increasing number of fossils that don’t neatly fit in the classic human origin story. → Read More
An earthquake lasted 32 years, and scientists want to know how
The slow quake—the longest ever recorded—ended in disaster in 1861. Experts are racing to find today’s equivalents. → Read More
Future COVID-19 vaccines might not have to be kept so cold
A need for ultra-cold storage limits vaccine availability, but promising new solutions are on the horizon. → Read More
Earth’s mountains may have mysteriously stopped growing for a billion years
Starting about 1.8 billion years ago, the planet's continental crust thinned, slowing the flow of nutrients into the sea and possibly stalling the evolution of life. → Read More
Colossal crater found in Siberia. What made it?
The gaping hole is likely from an explosive combination of gas, ice, and mud—and the process might become more common as the climate changes. → Read More
They don’t struggle to breathe—but COVID-19 is starving them of oxygen
One alarming symptom robs many patients of blood oxygen well before they notice. Doctors are racing to understand it. → Read More
What happens when natural disasters strike during a pandemic?
“Disasters don’t stop for a virus.” And national response teams are already feeling the strain. → Read More
These charts show how coronavirus has ‘quieted’ the world
As people stopped commuting and traveling, the Earth’s surface vibrated less—and seismologists tracked the change. → Read More
NASA’s InSight lander has detected humming on Mars. Scientists aren’t sure why.
NASA’s latest robotic geologist is starting to reveal the red planet’s pulse. → Read More
‘Reaper of Death’ tyrannosaur discovered in Canada
The scar-faced dinosaur illuminates how T. rex and its relatives became top predators. → Read More
You may have more Neanderthal DNA than you think
A new model upends old assumptions, revealing more Neanderthal ancestry for both modern Africans and Europeans than once thought. → Read More
First ancient genomes from West Africa reveal complexity of human ancestry
The ancient DNA of four children who lived thousands of years ago in western Cameroon has unearthed many more questions than answers. → Read More
Why so many earthquakes are rocking Puerto Rico
A series of tremors has rattled the island for more than a week—and there may be more to come. → Read More