Stephen Ornes

Freelance Writer

Stephen Ornes has been writing for Science News Explores since 2008, and his 2014 story "Where Will Lightning Strike?" won an AAAS/Kavli Gold Award. He lives in Nashville, Tenn., and he has three children, who are inventing their own language. His family has a cat, six chickens, and two rabbits, but he secretly thinks hagfish are the most fascinating animals. Stephen has written two books. One is a biography of mathematician Sophie Germain, who was born during the French Revolution. The other, which was published in 2019, features art inspired by math. Visit him online at stephenornes.com.

All Stories by Stephen Ornes

  1. Life

    Looking for LUCA, everyone’s shared ancestor

    You and all other living things descended from a single organism — our great-grand-germ. Scientists are studying modern genes to learn more about this very distant ancestor.

  2. Environment

    Human-built ‘beaver’ dams help save struggling streams

    To help restore streams, ecologists and other scientists are taking tips from the rodents — and hoping some beavers also join in.

  3. Tech

    This Band Aid-like device could let you ‘feel’ the virtual world

    Using a grid of tiny, fast-moving dots, this device realistically renders virtual textures by mimicking the feel of real-world objects.

  4. Tech

    New light-activated coating can kill stubborn germs

    Based on graphene, this new material can knock out hard-to-kill germs on contact — even in your mouth.

  5. Math

    Fractals describe patterns hidden all around us

    Over the last 50 years, fractals have challenged ideas about geometry and pushed math, science and technology into unexpected areas.

  6. Space

    Fast, mysterious clouds swarm around our galaxy

    Astronomers want to know the source — and importance — of these faint, fast-moving clouds that zoom beyond and toward our Milky Way’s disk.

  7. Earth

    These ultra-long experiments outlive their scientists — on purpose

    To study phenomena that unfold over decades or even centuries, scientists may launch projects they may never see finished.

  8. Tech

    Pickleballs inspire a new way to reduce drag on vehicles

    Dimples in a skin can be adjusted on demand to reduce drag or to steer where a vehicle goes.

  9. Materials Science

    A beautiful blue butterfly wing offers a new way to study cancer

    Once a morpho butterfly wing is placed atop a thin slice of tissue, shining polarized light through it can help reveal how likely breast cancer is to spread.

  10. Space

    The universe: How will it end?

    The Big Bang likely brought our universe into existence. What will mark its grand finale? Scientists blend imagination and data to make predictions.

  11. Planets

    So many wondrous moons — just a spaceship ride away

    Scientists are studying extraterrestrial moons for clues to how planets form, how life began — and whether there’s life out there right now.

  12. Tech

    Lasers help put the cork on spilled oil

    Treating cork with lasers made the material able to quickly sponge up oil while repelling water, scientists in China and Israel found.