Author Sarah DeWeerdt Sarah DeWeerdt is a freelance science journalist based in Seattle covering biology, medicine, and the environment. Her work has appeared in Anthropocene, Atmos, Nature, Nautilus, Newsweek, Sierra, and elsewhere. Sarah DeWeerdt's Latest Articles Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That By Sarah DeWeerdt ● News ● November 6, 2025 Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?