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. Plants

    Whale-free perfume

    Tree gene trick is good news for people who like perfume made without sperm whale waste.

  2. Animals

    Chimp’s gift for numbers

    Translating numbers into colors may explain an animal’s apparent memory trick.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Kids with ‘adult’ problems

    Nationwide survey shows that children are headed toward serious health problems related to excess weight.

  4. Brain

    Sweets on the brain

    Sugar-free sweeteners fool the body’s internal computer.

  5. Space

    Life beyond Earth

    Are we alone? Scientists search for an extraterrestrial answer.

  6. Animals

    Skeeters ride the rain

    Mosquitoes survive collisions with raindrops by going with the flow.

  7. Fossils

    End of big bug era

    Flying predators probably gobbled up the biggest of the large flying insects 150 million years ago

  8. Space

    Galactic mashup

    Save the date: The Milky Way will merge with its nearest large neighbor in about 4 billion years.

  9. Brain

    The smell of old people

    Tests show that older adults have a distinct odor, but it isn’t bad.

  10. Brain

    Candy on the brain

    Imaging reveals brain regions that become active when you want someone else’s stuff.

  11. Animals

    Mammals feel the heat

    Scientists predict some animals won’t be able to keep up with Earth’s increasing temperatures.

  12. Computing

    DNA takes notes

    Engineers develop a computer memory system based on living cells.