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

    Whales may round up squid for dinner

    Tracking sperm whale movements suggests groups herd to hunt.

  2. Tech

    Charged cars that would charge

    Electric vehicles could give power to the grid.

  3. Fossils

    Message in a dinosaur’s teeth

    Giant dino that was T. rex rival may have spent most of its time in the water.

  4. Physics

    The hottest soup in New York

    A quark-gluon plasma reaches the highest temperature ever measured in a lab.

  5. Chemistry

    Cold, colder and coldest ice

    Electric charge can change the temperature at which water freezes.

  6. Animals

    The case of the hairy eyeball

    Pet tarantulas don't need venom to express irritation.

  7. Tech

    The science of disappearing

    Invisibility cloaks and other new materials that play with light are in the works.

  8. Animals

    Pipefish power from mom

    When pop's a shrimp of a fish, mom passes on extra protein boost.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Physics of running bared

    Running without shoes softens the blow.

  10. Earth

    Watering the air

    Crop irrigation and farming practices could mean a cooler, wetter Midwest.

  11. Brain

    Teaching Math, teaching anxiety

    Teachers' math worries could affect students' performance.

  12. Tech

    Supersonic Splash

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