Christie Aschwanden is the lead science writer at FiveThirtyEight. She also writes a health column for the Washington Post and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Smithsonian, Popular Science, New Scientist, Discover and [NPR.org](http://NPR.org._ She blogs about science at The Last Word On Nothing and is a 2015 Journalism Fellow in Complex Systems Science at Santa Fe Institute. She's the recipient of a 2014 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. She won the NASW Science in Society Award for Commentary or Opinion in 2013 and was a 2011 National Magazine Award finalist.