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. Microbes

    A slime with memory

    Even without a brain, this slime mold knows where it’s been.

  2. Health & Medicine

    The 2012 Nobel Prizes

    Annual awards go to research on cells, atoms and light.

  3. Planets

    Curiosity’s watery find

    Mars rover finds rocks that show where water once flowed.

  4. Earth

    Earth’s big breakup

    Powerful motions beneath the Indian Ocean unleashed a series of earthquakes near Sumatra.

  5. Tech

    Color-changing robot

    Tiny tunnels within the “skin” of a robot allow it to blend in with or stand out from its surroundings.

  6. Microbes

    Bacteria learn new trick

    Scientists show evolution in action in decades-long E. coli study.

  7. Microbes

    Living long beneath the sea

    Microbes in the mud beneath the seafloor may live millions of years, redefining what it means to be old and alive.

  8. Animals

    Bird malaria moves north

    Germs that cause a so-called tropical disease make themselves at home in frosty Alaska.

  9. Brain

    Risk-taking linked to Ritalin

    People who inappropriately take the prescription drug to become more alert may also become more reckless.

  10. Chemistry

    Tiny bubbles, be gone

    The right surface can determine how water boils.

  11. Humans

    Building Stonehenge

    A new study of ancient crops may identify the laborers behind Britain’s most famous stone monument.

  12. Oceans

    Icy inns at Earth’s end

    Intrepid researchers discover icebergs host large and lively communities of life.