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. Animals

    Poop-sniffing mice to the rescue

    Animals can detect droppings left by ducks with Bird Flu.

  2. Planets

    Holes in Martian moon mystery

    Phobos may be lots of empty space.

  3. Environment

    The oily Gulf

    The Gulf oil spill is massive, will take years to clean up.

  4. Animals

    Afraid of its own fishy reflection

    A cichlid brain works differently when the fish attacks its mirror image.

  5. Genetics

    Your inner Neandertal

    New study finds some DNA in modern humans was passed down from Neandertals.

  6. Health & Medicine

    A pepper part that burns fat

    Study finds that dihydrocapsiate may give a diet extra power.

  7. Chemistry

    Bandages that could bite back

    A new material would make bacteria's attack the path to their demise.

  8. Life

    The algae invasion

    One of the world's simplest organisms is also one of the hardest to classify.

  9. Brain

    Dreaming makes perfect

    A new study connects dreams with learning a new skill.

  10. Health & Medicine

    The mercury in that tuna

    Pinning down how much of the poison is in the fish we buy.

  11. Space

    Planning for Mars

    Obama outlines space program that would take crew beyond the moon.

  12. Humans

    A louse-y start for clothing

    A date for appearance of body lice suggests time of first clothes.