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

    Surprising rabies resistance

    Amazon villagers survive deadly disease carried by vampire bats.

  2. Science & Society

    Airports that speed germs’ spread

    Scientists identify which U.S airports are able to spread disease most effectively.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Bye-bye, egg allergy

    Eating tiny amounts of eggs helps some children overcome their egg allergy.

  4. Physics

    No more bubble trouble

    Dolphin’s clicks help scientists sort through confusing underwater noises.

  5. Genetics

    Twins don’t share everything

    Twins carry different flags on their DNA, even from birth.

  6. Physics

    Walking on water

    Scientists explain why a liquid can sometimes act like a solid.

  7. Fossils

    Dino find ruffles feathers

    Nearly-perfect, newfound dinosaur fossil reveals more dinos were feathered than previously thought.

  8. Animals

    A trout’s nose-y magnets

    Cells in a fish’s snout respond to magnets.

  9. Space

    An invisible cosmic bridge

    Astronomers find strange stuff in the space between two clusters of galaxies.

  10. Tech

    Hot technology

    A new device harvests energy that would otherwise go wasted.

  11. Environment

    Bad news for big bird

    Lead poisoning, which nearly killed off California condors, still threatens the birds.

  12. Fossils

    Hot or cold dinos

    Patterns in dinosaur bones fuel a debate over whether they were warm- or cold-blooded.