Sandra Swanson jumped out of a plane once, for the sake of journalism (it was a skydiving story). Since then, she's found plenty of invigorating work that doesn't require plummeting toward the ground at 120 mph. As a Chicago-based writer, she's covered technology, science, and business for dozens of publications. She’s also keen on topics that intersect in unexpected ways. One example: "Toys That Inspired Scientific Breakthroughs,” a story she wrote for ScientificAmerican.com. Connect with her on Twitter (@saswanson) or at www.saswanson.com.