The Issue 02 Theme: Uncharted

“Uncharted.” The word evokes our unprecedented time, with all its inherent challenges and advances. As I write this, we’re collectively navigating the uncharted territory of weather extremes from climate change and the ravages of a life-altering pandemic. In spite of this, we carry on. It’s simply in our nature. In the face of hardship—globally, individually, or somewhere in between—we explore, innovate, and push boundaries to find novel solutions to entrenched problems, so that we can better understand and improve ourselves and our planet. For example, scientists are discovering new ways to explore space, the oceans, the immune system, and the human genome. We can chart new territory literally, as in this issue’s story about mapping a national park; personally, as in the stories about a mountain climber and a deep-sea explorer; or figuratively, as in the whimsical essay about ancient fears and desires associated with the unknown.

The editorial management team met to consider an array of possible themes, and we quickly agreed on “Uncharted.” The pitches we received offered a variety of perspectives on new frontiers of the mind, body, society, and space, and some expanded our ideas of what it means to confront the unfamiliar.

We are delighted to offer fifteen stories by current students in the Johns Hopkins University Science Writing Program. All the writers came from Sam Apple’s fall 2021 online magazine course. A dedicated volunteer team of nine alumni editors supported the writers in developing the stories, from helping to polish the written word to arranging visuals to help tell the stories. For some writers, this is their first published clip; others are seasoned professionals. The excellent program at Hopkins has shaped all of us, launching us on our own journeys into the uncharted.

Anne N. Connor

Editor in Chief, The Science Writer