Kate Raphael
I'm a journalist covering climate, environment, health, aging, and child welfare.
When I'm not reporting or writing, you can find me running trails in the Berkeley Hills or working on a new craft project.
My work has appeared in Grist, KQED, Sierra Magazine, Atlas Obscura, The Sunday Long Read, and Bay Nature and is forthcoming in The New York Times and Discover Magazine. Check out some of my recent stories below.
work
Grist
Pennsylvania’s fracking boom is hurting its oldest residents
“Up until 10 years ago, I was a pretty healthy bitch. And, unfortunately, I’m dying.”
Bay Nature
A Nasty Salmon-Killing Tire Chemical Is in Bay Waterways. Can It Be Cleaned Up?
6PPD-quinone comes from a long-used chemical that will be hard to replace in tires. But ‘green infrastructure’ may help stop it from entering our waters.
Environmental Health News
Kids’ glyphosate exposure linked to liver disease and metabolic syndrome
In a first-of-its kind study, researchers found children exposed to the controversial herbicide were more likely in early adulthood to have a collection of symptoms that increase risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Atlas Obscura
To Save America’s Native Bees, the Oregon Bee Project Is Mapping Every Single One
The project aims to make a complete ‘bee atlas,’ detailing every single local pollinator.
Sierra Magazine
More Cars on the Road, Clean or Not, Means More Microplastics
Scientists are puzzling over how to tackle the problem as the transition to electric vehicles gets underway.
Environmental Health News
Car tire chemicals are killing salmon and steelhead
The chemical 6PPD, added to tires to prevent degradation, is causing a “complete breakdown of the blood brain barrier” in fish, a new study found.
even more work
health & science
KQED | Older Adults in Sonoma County to Get Fire-Safety Home Retrofits — for Free
Berkeley Science Review | Northern California farmers and climate change
KneeDeep Times | Is Weed Greener Indoors or Out?
KneeDeep Times | Growing a Rainbow in the Urban Dirt
Well + Good | As Patients Grow Sicker, Administrative Hassles Keep Care Out of Reach
LeapsMag | Polio to COVID-19: Why Has Vaccine Confidence Eroded Over the Last 70 Years?
The Victory Press | Increasingly Frequent Western Wildfires Will Change Distance and Altitude Training Forever
The Victory Press | Giving Birth and Running Faster
The Victory Press | We Need to Stop Telling Runners “You Look Fit”
Lady Science | Breaking Order, Embracing Chaos in Lulu Miller’s “Why Fish Don’t Exist”
longform
The Sunday Long Read | Two Dollar Bill, Befuddled Brendan, and the currency of a story
essays
Trampset | Rooftop
Catapult | The Evolution of Miley Cyrus Taught Me to Embrace Imperfection
Tracksmith Journal | What becomes of the broken hearted?