Her science articles include one about the new field of epigenetics , the study of the forces that act on and effect alterations to DNA ( not caused by change in sequencing ) and another about the sensory abilities of animals that may have allowed them to have survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami for '' Salon '' . Her work for the '' New Yorker '' include a feature on hemispherectomy , the most radical form of brain surgery , where half of the brain is removed , and coverage of 2009 's Black Saturday bushfires , the deadliest series of brushfires in Australia 's history . Her work for '' The New York Times '' includes science articles centered around language 's impact on perception , news and cultural reportage from Australia , and numerous book reviews — covering everything from essay books by Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins , to a book about proto-Indo-European language to a work of fiction for 9 - to 12-year-olds set in Victorian England
Black Saturday bushfires
Black Saturday bushfires
Christine Kenneally