ScienceAlert
ScienceAlert is an independently run online publication and news source that publishes articles featuring scientific research, discoveries, and outcomes. The site was founded in 2004 by Julian Cribb, a science writer, to aggregate research findings from Australian universities, and it expanded in 2006 when ex-Microsoft programmer Chris Cassella took on the project of developing the website. It has readership that ranges from 11.5m to 26.5m per month. Kate Mallord has been CEO since 2024. In March 2024 the site was listed by Press Gazette as one of the fastest growing news sites globally.
 | |
| Editor | Peter Dockrill[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Former editors | Julian Cribb (2005 – 2015)[3][4] |
| Categories | Popular science |
| Frequency | Daily |
| First issue | 2004 |
| Company | ScienceAlert Pty Ltd[5] |
| Country | Australia[6] |
| Based in | Canberra[5] |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.sciencealert.com |
ScienceAlert is an independently run online publication and news source that publishes articles featuring scientific research, discoveries, and outcomes.[2] The site was founded in 2004 by Julian Cribb, a science writer, to aggregate research findings from Australian universities,[7] and it expanded in 2006 when ex-Microsoft programmer Chris Cassella took on the project of developing the website.[8] It has readership that ranges from 11.5m to 26.5m per month.[6] Kate Mallord has been CEO since 2024.[9] In March 2024 the site was listed by Press Gazette as one of the fastest growing news sites globally. [10]
History
[edit]Science communicator Julian Cribb founded ScienceAlert in 2004.[11][12] The website was born out of his "concern at the lack of information available about what Australians and New Zealanders achieve in science".[13] Chris Cassella, a former programmer for Microsoft, joined the site in order to develop new web tools.[7] He took on this work as part of a master's degree thesis in science communication at Australia National University,[8] where Cribb was a professor.[14] Initially, the focus of ScienceAlert was twofold: "to both publicise Australasian scientific outcomes more widely and to encourage Australasian research institutions and funding agencies to share more of their achievements by providing a free outlet for them to do so".[7] Cassella is credited with bringing the site to social media, starting the ScienceAlert Facebook page in 2007.[13] By 2011, the page had attracted a significant following among young people,[15] reaching one million followers by 2012.[16] By 2020, the page had slightly more than nine million followers.[2][17]
In 2012, ScienceAlert received a grant from Inspiring Australia, a government initiative aimed at engaging "people who may not have had previous access to or interest in science-communication activities".[18] Although the website began as a project to aggregate research findings and outcomes from Australian universities, by 2019 the focus of the site had shifted toward presenting popular science to a wider audience. The shift toward mass appeal news on social media has met with some criticism. (See Controversy and criticism section, below)
In July 2019, reinforcing the site's commitment to fact-checking, ScienceAlert announced a joint partnership with Metafact. ScienceAlert republishes selected expert answers from the Metafact community across the site's multiple digital channels.[19][20] ScienceAlert is owned by ScienceAlert Pty Ltd., a privately held company owned by Chris Cassella.
According to its site, ScienceAlert does not run sponsored articles nor is it affiliated with other companies or institutions.[21][22] As of 2025, ScienceAlert engages more than 25 million readers per month.[6]
Editorial staff
[edit]In addition to Cassella and Mallord, ScienceAlert's editorial staff is headed by Peter Dockrill, who now manages more than half a dozen contributing science journalists to produce the site's news.[1][23] Cribb concluded his role as editor at ScienceAlert in 2015. From 2017-2024, Fiona MacDonald was CEO of ScienceAlert, with Cassella acting as COO/CFO.[24] Prior to this role, MacDonald had worked with the news site for more than a decade as an editor and then the director of content. She's now listed as a co-founder of the site.[25][24][1][26] In 2024, Kate Mallord, formerly of Meta and LinkedIn, was named CEO.[27] According to The Brilliant, the editorial team has doubled since 2017.[2]
Format
[edit]As of August 2023, ScienceAlert had the following sections: Space, Environment, Tech, Physics, Opinion, Health, Humans, Nature and Society. Readers could read the trending news or the latest news from the homepage.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c MacDonald, Fiona. "Our Team". ScienceAlert. Archived from the original on 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ a b c d "Wake up Australia. You have the second-largest science website in the world". August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ Centre, The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research. "Cribb, Julian - Japanese entry - Encyclopedia of Australian Science". www.eoas.info. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Julian Cribb: What are the future challenges to our food system". Resilience. May 19, 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ a b "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. November 1, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c "sciencealert.com Traffic Statistics". SimilarWeb. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- ^ a b c Beeby, Rosslyn (February 27, 2012). "ACT pair takes Australian science to the world". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Sharaz, David (June 14, 2012). "Canberra science website more popular than NASA". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ https://www.sciencealert.com/our-team
- ^ https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/most-popular-websites-news-us-monthly-3/
- ^ Kirk, Susan (February 28, 2012). "A million fans for Australian science". Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ "Women dominate ACT Australian of the Year nominations". The Star. October 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Australian Science Communication Conference | Chief Scientist". www.chiefscientist.gov.au. 2012-03-01. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "sciencerewired / Interview With Chris Cassella - ScienceAlert at sciencerewired". Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Parliament of Australia: Aust. Australian science followers top half a million". Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Taking science to the world – from Narrabundah!". citynews.com.au. February 27, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ "ScienceAlert". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ Australia, Inspiring (2012-06-12). "Inspiring Australia grant overviews". www.scienceinpublic.com.au. Archived from the original on 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
- ^ "This fact-checking website answers all your science-related questions". Rappler. 23 March 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "- Metafact". metafact.io. Archived from the original on 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Podcast: ScienceAlert's journey to 6.4 million Facebook likes". The RiotACT. Archived from the original on 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Episode One Hundred And Thirty Four – On ScienceRewired – Interviews On Science, Society And Education". September 1, 2012. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ "ScienceAlert: science communication for the masses". January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "Parfemme: In Touch With Scientist and Mother Fiona MacDonald". Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ NSW, Inspiring (December 9, 2014). "Building online communities". Inspiring Australia. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ https://www.sciencealert.com/our-team
- ^ https://www.sciencealert.com/our-team
- ^ "ScienceAlert". www.sciencealert.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-09-04.