Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists

Lily Burton is the Spring 2026 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She also has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Chicago where she researched circadian rhythms in photosynthetic bacteria and the role they play in metabolism. She was a 2024 AAAS Mass Media Fellow where she reported on local science at WUNC – North Carolina Public Radio.