Allison Parshall | Multimedia Science Journalist

  • A gif of the outline of a head and torso with chin-length hair, against a backdrop of mathematical equations.

    Cleo, the Mysterious Math Menace | Science, Quickly (Scientific American)

    In 2013 a new user took an online math forum by storm with unproved answers. Today they’re an urban legend. But who were they?

  • A thick, purple, fuzzy stalk protrudes from a mummified insect in its burrow. Credit: João Araújo,

    How Zombifying Fungi Became Master Manipulators | Science, Quickly (by Scientific American)

    The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijacks the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more.

  • A moving gif, starting with luminous musical notes on a screen, and a human hand with a pen on a pad. Overlaid is the text "Artificial Intelligence Gets Musical" and the logo "Science, Quickly"

    If AI Starts Making Music on Its Own, What Happens to Musicians? | Science, Quickly (by Scientific American)

    Music made with artificial intelligence could upend the music industry. Here’s what that might look like. (Part 3/3 of AI Gets Musical mini-series)

  • White music notes and symbols scrolling against a black background, glitching periodically. Bright overlaid text reads "Artificial Intelligence gets musical", with a small logo reading "Science, Quickly."

    Music-Making Artificial Intelligence is Getting Scary Good | Science, Quickly (by Scientific American)

    Google’s new AI model can generate entirely new music from text prompts. Here’s what they sound like. (Part 2/3 of AI Gets Musical mini-series)

  • Music notes and symbols scroll, corrupted by brightly-colored digital static. Overlaid text reads "Artificial Intelligence Gets Musical" with logo beneath reading "Science. Quickly"

    Artificial Intelligence Helped Make the Coolest Song You've Heard This Week | Science, Quickly (by Scientific American)

    Machine-learning algorithms are getting so good that they can translate Western instruments into Thai ones with ease. (Part 1/3 of AI Gets Musical mini-series)

  • Arif Ullah stands in front of a brick wall with South Bronx Unite written in chalk

    Inside a coastal community’s fight for a greener waterfront | Scienceline

    The people of the South Bronx have almost no access to their own coast. South Bronx Unite’s Arif Ullah is working to change that.

  • 3 musicians in traditional Tuvan clothing stand in a green field with horses and cattle in background.

    How Tuvan vocalists sing two notes at once | Scienceline

    These master musicians use the fundamental principles of sound to sculpt their overtone harmonies

  • Illustration of an array of colored pills, both tabs and capsules.

    Bacteria vs. Antibiotics: The Race against Resistance

    Bacteria are constantly evolving. The drugs we use to kill them aren’t. Here’s how microbes evade modern medicine. (Independently written and animated for Antibiotics Awareness Week 2020)