Sarah Kuta
Sarah Kuta is a Smart News writer and daily correspondent for Smithsonian Magazine who covers environment-related stories through clear explainers of scientific research, climate extremes and material science, often tying them to broader historical and cultural themes. She writes concise daily pieces that translate new studies, discoveries and exhibitions into accessible news items for a general audience. Alongside this work, she maintains a wide freelance portfolio, contributing reported features and service articles to a range of national and international outlets.
Environment and climate in Smart News briefs
Kuta’s environment coverage at Smithsonian Magazine includes reporting on extreme climate and polar conditions, such as her story about the Antarctic interior hitting minus 119.4 degrees Fahrenheit, described as Earth’s lowest recorded temperature in more than a decade.
She frequently anchors environment stories in new scientific research, most notably in her reporting on an ancient construction site in the ruins of Pompeii that reveals new secrets about the 2,000-year-old recipe for Roman concrete. In that piece, she explains how researchers are identifying the specific ingredients used by ancient Romans to create durable concrete and how those findings could inform next-generation, low-carbon construction materials.
Her treatment of the subject foregrounds the technical details while keeping the focus on what the research means for modern infrastructure and climate-conscious building.
Across this strand of her work, Kuta tends to use short, straightforward stories to connect environmental science with its practical implications, whether the subject is polar temperature records or advances in sustainable materials. She favors clear summaries of peer-reviewed findings and expert commentary, framed around what is newly discovered or revised, rather than broader advocacy or opinion.
Museums, exhibitions and historical memory
Much of Kuta’s Smithsonian output centers on museums and exhibitions, especially those that revisit complex or painful histories.
Her coverage includes a story on a new exhibition that imagines an alternate future for Emmett Till had he lived, using art and narrative to explore the life that was cut short by his murder. She presents the exhibition through its central premise and curatorial choices, underlining how institutions are engaging audiences with historical injustice and memory.
She also reports on artifacts and preservation work connected to major historical events, such as a Revolutionary War–era gunboat found underneath the World Trade Center site and its new permanent home in New York. In that piece, she traces the vessel’s discovery beneath Ground Zero and the decision to relocate and display it, bringing together archaeology, urban history and museum practice. Her archive further includes coverage of the shipwreck Mesaba in the Irish Sea, with attention to how multibeam sonar helped document the site, a story that shows her interest in the tools and methods of underwater archaeology.
These stories share a focus on how historical artifacts and curated exhibitions shape public understanding of the past. Kuta typically highlights the institutions involved, the research or conservation techniques used and the interpretive choices of curators, giving readers a concise sense of why a particular object or show matters now.
Animals and internet culture
Alongside heavier historical and scientific subjects, Kuta’s Smart News archive features lighter pieces on animals and online culture. One example is her story about an unusual-looking raccoon nicknamed Jimothy, who is winning hearts across the internet for his short, round body. The piece captures a minor viral moment while still grounding it in basic facts about the animal and its circumstances.
This strand of her work shows her versatility with tone: she can shift from environment and history coverage to quick, character-driven stories about individual animals or quirky phenomena circulating online. Even in these lighter items, she maintains a straightforward, descriptive style, focusing on what happened, why the subject caught attention and any relevant background.
Crime history and communication writing beyond the museum beat
Outside Smithsonian Magazine, Kuta writes extensively about crime history and missing persons cases for outlets that focus on true crime.
Her work includes a detailed account of what happened to three-year-old Zaela Walker, a Las Vegas murder case; a narrative about a baby missing from a fire who was found six years later with a new family; a feature on whether fingerprints from 1943 can help solve the Black Dahlia murder; and reporting on how Kristin Smart’s killer was found while the search for her body continues. These stories blend archival research, court records and interviews to reconstruct events and their aftermath.
She also writes service journalism on professional topics, such as a piece on how to build executive presence with communication for a business and personal development outlet. In that article, she outlines practical strategies for improving communication and leadership presence, using a structured, advice-driven format.
Her broader freelance portfolio includes work that has appeared in National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, Travel+Leisure, NBC News, Food & Wine, Robb Report, Lonely Planet, the Denver Post, 5280 Magazine and the Toronto Star, among others.
Taken together, this work shows a journalist who moves confidently between concise Smart News reporting on environment, science and museums and longer narrative features on crime and professional development. Her consistent through-line is a focus on clear explanation, specific detail and the translation of research, records and expertise into plain, readable stories.
4 more environment journalists.
Alan Halaly
Alan Halaly is a water reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal who treats the Colorado River as a working system, not a backdrop, making its governance, infrastructure and risks central to his beat. He covers how policy decisions and infrastructure projects shape the region’s water future, linking high-level choices on the Colorado River, dams, mining and data centers to everyday consequences under mounting heat and growth pressures. He reports deeply on new laws, lawsuits and regulatory shifts, focusing on on-the-ground impacts. His coverage spans Colorado River cuts, Hoover Dam operations, extreme weather, heat and parks, septic system rules, workplace and public health risks, lithium and gold mines, protected landscapes, data centers, AI infrastructure and public funding. Previously he reported for metropolitan dailies, digital outlets and public media, including the Miami Herald, WUFT, The Daily Beast and Miami New Times, with work recognized by Hearst, ONA and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Alejandra Borunda
Alejandra Borunda reports on how climate change affects human health for NPR. Her work treats global warming as a direct cause of physical and mental health risks. She covers extreme heat, including undercounted deaths, lost sleep and local efforts to track heat-related fatalities. She also reports on wildfire smoke, hurricanes, disease spread such as dengue fever, trauma, stress and unequal health impacts. Her stories examine how communities protect themselves and recover, as well as practical solutions involving climate-resilient crops, agriculture and diet. Before NPR, she wrote about climate science and environmental issues for National Geographic, including glacier retreat, shade and heat inequity, and shrinking ice-fishing seasons. A former climate scientist, she combines field reporting with scientific data to connect atmospheric research to everyday risks, choices and people’s lived experiences.
Alex Lubben
Alex Lubben is an environment reporter at The Times-Picayune/The Advocate who connects climate risk to policy, industry and community change. He covers Gulf warming, flood protection, coastal restoration, wetlands litigation, industrial projects such as SpaceX’s possible expansion, invasive species and local ecosystems. His reporting tracks how law, politics and corporate decisions shape levees, drainage, marshes and long-term resilience. He also examines climate relocation, housing and labor, showing how hurricanes, floods and wildfires displace vulnerable communities and expose gaps in government systems. He works on a small environment team and brings an investigative background to document work, data analysis, legal and policy research, and field reporting. His work has appeared in VICE News, The Center for Public Integrity, The Nation, Jewish Currents and NBC News.
Alex Wigglesworth
Alex Wigglesworth reports on how climate, land use and public policy shape California communities. She covers the Inland Empire and Mojave Desert for the Los Angeles Times and is part of its environment team. Her beat includes wildfires, megadrought, extreme weather, desert development, conservation, wildlife, industrial hazards, aging infrastructure and regulatory enforcement. She has covered Western Joshua trees, desert tortoises, beaver-led restoration, toxic lead pipes, air-quality concerns after industrial fires and the effects of nuclear war on food systems. Earlier, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. She combines breaking news with detailed reporting grounded in scientific studies, modeling and expert interviews. Her work connects fires, drought and other hazards to climate change, while examining how agencies, companies and land-use decisions affect people and ecosystems.