rskloot

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Rebecca Skloot

Rebecca Skloot is an award-winning science writer, and author of the New York Times Bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It tells the story of HeLa -- the first immortal human cell line ever grown in culture (pictured in the blog's banner) -- the woman those cells came from, and the family she left behind. The book has been featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, CBS Sunday Morning, The Colbert Report, and many others. Skloot is also a contributing editor at Popular Science magazine; she's worked as a correspondent for WNYC's RadioLab, and PBS's Nova ScienceNOW. Her writing appears in The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, Discover and others.

Posts by this author

Culture Dish Has a New Home ... At Least For Now
July 8, 2010
Please redirect your browsers to Culture Dish's new home, where we've just put up the inaugural welcome post.  There you will find an RSS to subscribe to so you can follow Culture Dish wherever it goes next (which we very much hope you'll do).
Culture Dish Doesn't Live Here Anymore
July 7, 2010
As I said  yesterday on Twitter, a big conflict of interest and transparency problem has arisen on ScienceBlogs. Like several other bloggers here, I'm now on a hiatus, however like like David Dobb's and Blake Stacy's, my hiatus from ScienceBlogs will be permanent. I've been contemplating a move…
Detailed Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks FAQ Page Now Online
July 2, 2010
I've been working for a while to develop a Frequently Asked Questions page to answers the most common reader questions about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Well, it's now online, and it addresses questions ranging from why HeLa cells are immortal to how the Lacks family is benefiting from…
First Experiment to Attempt Prevention of Homosexuality in Womb? Really?
July 1, 2010
A press release landed in my inbox today with this headline, which raised my eyebrows (as it was obviously intended to do): "First Experiment to Attempt Prevention of Homosexuality in Womb."  It starts with this quote from Alice Dreger, a Northwestern University bioethicist: "This is the first we…
More on Henrietta Lacks's New Grave Marker
May 31, 2010
Anyone interested in Henrietta Lacks and the grave marker finally placed on her long unmarked grave this weekend should click here immediately for a beautiful post by scientist David Kroll, who attended the unveiling ceremony.  It's filled with beautiful photos of the day, and a tribute to all…
A Historic Day: Henrietta Lacks's Long Unmarked Grave Finally Gets a Headstone
May 29, 2010
Today is a very exciting day:  Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa) has been lying in an unmarked grave since her death in 1951. Today, thanks to Dr. Roland Pattillo at Morehouse School of Medicine, who donated a headstone after reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, her grave is finally marked.  …
HeLa Onscreen: Oprah and Alan Ball to Make Film of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for HBO
May 13, 2010
Things have been a bit quiet here as I finished up my crazy four-month-long book tour, and there's much to catch up on.  First, some big news just in: Oprah, Alan Ball, and HBO are going to be making a movie version of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  This news has gotten quite a bit…
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks FAQ #2: Did Skloot really flunk high school?
April 6, 2010
I'm posting answers to FAQs about my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, as an ongoing series on this blog.  In my last FAQ post, I told the story of how I first learned about HeLa cells at sixteen.  A related question I often get has to do with this one sentence in the book's prologue: "I…
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks FAQ#1: How did Skloot learn about HeLa cells?
April 4, 2010
I mentioned a while ago that I'll be posting answers to FAQs about my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, as an ongoing series on this blog. I thought I'd start the FAQs with one of the most commonly asked questions: How did you learn about Henrietta and the HeLa cells, and why did they…
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Tour Trailer Part 1
March 29, 2010
People often ask whether the Lacks family has joined me for any of my book tour events, and how they feel about the book.  Here, in the first of what will be several trailers of The Immortal Book Tour, you can see bits of the tour, including the blizzard that nearly prevented me from getting there…
Skloot Launches FAQ Blog Series Answering Reader Questions About The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
March 21, 2010
As some of you may have noticed, things have been a weeeeeeee bit quiet here at Culture Dish.  This is what happens when a person embarks on a totally insane book tour.  I've been on the road for two months straight since the publication of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, giving talks,…
Immortal Cells; Moral Issues
February 12, 2010
Today's Baltimore Sun features a great OpEd by Ruth Faden, director of the bioethics institute at Johns Hopkins, exploring the ethical and moral issues raised by The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and its relevance to the current debate over health care reform.  In it she says, among other…
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Skloot on ABC World News Tonight! Plus Lots of Review Love
January 31, 2010
A quick post as I run out the door for the teeveey studio: Set your TiVos and your DVRs, mark your calendars: Tonight I'll be on ABC World News talking about my new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  The segment will also feature members of Henrietta's family, and Vincent Racaniello with…
Countdown to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks & Press Roundup
January 26, 2010
After ten long years, the serious countdown has begun for the publication of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which will be on sale nationwide exactly SEVEN DAYS from today.  I've been posting about my impending book tour, and all the great coverage the book has been getting, on…
Texas Ordered to Destroy Blood Samples Taken From More Than 5.3 Million Children and Stored Without Consent
January 24, 2010
I've been meaning to post about this for several weeks, but as we all know, things have been a weee bit hectic. But now, finally:  News on the informed consent for using tissues in research front. Since the 1960s, US law has mandated that all newborns be screened for genetic diseases.  What most…
Join Culture Dish for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Launch Event
January 23, 2010
Are you in New York?  Anywhere near New York? If so ... mark your calendars and come join us for the PUBLIC BOOK LAUNCH EVENT we've all been waiting for (well, at least we here at Culture Dish have been waiting for it ... plus a few other folks):  In an evening emceed by Jad Abumrad of RADIOLAB, I'…
Skloot on the Cover of Publishers Weekly & Advance Praise for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
November 14, 2009
Big week here at Culture Dish! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and its author (yours truly) were on the cover of Publishers Weekly (please note: THRILLED!). Inside that issue was a profile of me with some of book's backstory, a short excerpt from the book (longer excerpt coming soon in O, the…
Get a Free Copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa), While Supplies Last
November 5, 2009
Calling all academics: If you'd like a free advanced copy of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, get thee to Random House's academic blog and request a copy quick, while supplies last (which probably won't be long at the rate things are going). See below for more information on the book…
Court Upholds Rights of Scientists and Patients to Challenge Gene Patents
November 2, 2009
Some interesting news about the breast cancer patent lawsuit I wrote about for Slate's Double X Magazine a few months ago:  A federal district court has just agreed to hear the case. When the lawsuit was first filed, many legal experts I talked to said they were sure the case would get thrown out…
U of Akron Requires DNA from Potential Employees; Feds Open Public Comment Period on Federal Law Protecting DNA
October 31, 2009
Inside Higher Ed just reported that an adjunct instructor at the University of Akron quit when he was told that he had to submit to DNA testing. "It's not enough that the university doesn't pay us a living wage, or provide us with health insurance," the instructor said, "but now they want to…
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Tour - Bring HeLa to Your Town
October 29, 2009
Lots of excitement and news about my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa), which hits stores February 2nd (after ten years in the works). It just got a starred review in Publishers Weekly and in Booklist, and was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers title for…
How to Prevent Obesity in Your Pet
October 28, 2009
Because of the flood of responses I got to yesterday's post on The Insanity of the FDA Approved Obesity Drug for Dogs, I thought I'd start a series of follow up posts answering the many questions I got by email and in the comments here. The most common question was, Okay, so the drug is a bad idea…
The Insanity of the FDA Approved Obesity Drug for Dogs
October 27, 2009
The other day I took my dogs to the vet for a checkup and saw a woman with her morbidly obese dog waiting to fill her prescription for Slentrol -- the first obesity drug for dogs -- which made me feel the need to resurrect this post below, which I wrote the day the FDA announced they'd approved the…
Time to Register for ScienceOnline2010!
October 26, 2009
Yes folks, it's that time again:  Registration is now open for the great ScienceOnline2010 meeting that will take place (as always) in Durham, NC in January.  The program features many great scientists, science bloggers, and science journalists, and promises to be lots of fun. I'll be running a…
Agoraphobia Service Monkey Lawsuit Rejected; Seizure Alert Ferret Kicked Out of Mall
October 25, 2009
Today was a big day for non-canine service animal news, which I keep tabs on here as part of ongoing follow up to my New York Times Magazine article, Creature Comforts, about the use of non-canine service animals (which include ducks, monkeys, horses, goats, and at least one kangaroo).  The…
Today: Nobel Prize Awarded for Telomerase Discovery, and the 58th Anniversary of Henrietta Lacks's Death
October 5, 2009
It's fitting that today -- the day after the 58th anniversary of Henrietta Lacks's death -- the Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak for the discovery of how telomeres and the enzyme telomerase protect chromosomes from degrading over time…
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Gets Starred PW Review and a Shiny New Cover
October 3, 2009
Lots of excitement here at Culture Dish:  The final cover for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has arrived (see left). And ... <drum roll> ... the the book's first pre-publication review has hit the press:  In the issue coming out this Monday, Publishers Weekly gives The Immortal Life a…
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
September 19, 2009
It's that time again: Today , September 19th, is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Japanese Respect for the Aged day ... and my birthday. It also happens to be the day Giles Corey was "pressed" to death by villagers who stacked increasingly large rocks on him because he'd been declared a witch…
Not Dead Yet ...
September 15, 2009
Yes, that's right, we here at Culture Dish are actually STILL ALIVE! Though you wouldn't know it from our feed.  <brushing off cobwebs> ... After a bit of down time, Culture Dish is back.  The last several months have been jam packed with pre-publication craziness with my book, The Immortal…
Patent Dispute Prevents Patients From Getting Promising Drug for Lou Gehrig's Disease
May 17, 2009
Speaking of the debate over patents interfering with medical care, there's a story in today's New York Times that mentions the drug Iplex, which has shown promise for treating Lou Gehrig's disease -- a deadly and thus far untreatable degenerative disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…