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. Brain

    Teaching Math, teaching anxiety

    Teachers' math worries could affect students' performance.

  2. Tech

    Supersonic Splash

    Coming soon to a pond near you: air moving faster than the speed of sound.

  3. Plants

    Surprise Visitor

    Newly discovered cricket pollinates orchids in nighttime rendezvous.

  4. Animals

    Making the most of a meal

    Sea slug swipes recipe for food-producing chemical from algae it eats.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Slumber by the numbers

    Fewer than 1 in 10 teens get ideal amount of sleep.

  6. Animals

    The nerve of one animal

    Cancer that's killing Tasmanian devils probably began in a single creature's nervous system.

  7. Environment

    A global warming flap

    Differences in butterfly and moth breeding patterns are linked to a changing climate.

  8. Tech

    A light delay

    New kind of trap can hold light for 1.5 seconds.

  9. Fossils

    Dino-bite!

    Study suggests dinosaur's teeth packed poison.

  10. Environment

    Watching out for vultures

    Farmers giving medicine to cows are accidentally poisoning vultures, again.

  11. Physics

    Small but WISE

    A new telescope will scan the entire sky and see (infra)red.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Drugs and zzzzzz’s

    People who take the drug ecstasy are more likely to suffer from a sleeping disorder.