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. Earth

    Slowing ice flows

    New satellite study of glacier motion shows stop-and-go ice movement.

  2. Space

    Black hole’s big gulp

    Astronomers say a bright flare in space shows where a black hole tore apart a star.

  3. Brain

    Seeing swirling snakes

    Brain scientists watch the eyes of people watching an optical illusion.

  4. Math

    Math for hungry birds

    Seabird traces patterns while searching for food.

  5. Science & Society

    Obesity linked to location

    Kids living near parks or markets less likely to be extremely overweight.

  6. Physics

    Dark matter search turns up empty

    Star study suggests our cosmic neighborhood may be lacking invisible matter.

  7. Animals

    Baboons detect bogus words

    Some monkeys know a real word when they see it.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Switching cough off

    Researchers find possible solution to the nagging problem of how to curb a cough.

  9. Fossils

    Fluffysaurus

    Newfound fossils belong to giant feathered dinosaurs.

  10. Space

    Martian devil

    Giant whirlwind photographed as it snakes its way across a plain in northern Mars

  11. Animals

    Animal buddies

    Humans aren’t the only animals that benefit from friends.

  12. Space

    ‘Ruler’ to measure space

    Study of energy waves formed during the Big Bang supports Einstein’s prediction that a strange, invisible force is pushing the universe apart.