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. Environment

    Deck the halls with DCA

    A plastic ornament was caught giving off poisonous vapors.

  2. Plants

    Flower family knows its roots

    Impatiens wildflowers seem to know who's sharing their soil.

  3. Space

    Moon crash, splash

    NASA scientists smash a rocket into the moon and discover water vapor and ice in a lunar crater.

  4. Health & Medicine

    New twists for phantom limbs

    An experiment explores the connections between brain and body.

  5. Fossils

    The paleontologist and the three dinosaurs

    Skulls thought to be from three different dinosaurs may actually be from the same dino type at three different ages.

  6. Planets

    One ring around them all

    Introducing the solar system's largest known ring around a planet.

  7. Fossils

    The bug that may have killed a dinosaur

    The holes in the jaw bone of a world-famous T. Rex suggest the dino died from a parasite infection.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Junk food junkies

    Rats on a junk food diet behave like drug addicts.

  9. Animals

    Giant snakes invading North America

    A new government study suggests the United States may see pythons in Pennsylvania by 2100.

  10. Tech

    Batteries built by viruses

    Scientists use microbes to create tiny power supplies.

  11. Chemistry

    The secret life of fruit flies

    Scientists find that the most attractive scent for a fruit fly is no scent at all.

  12. Health & Medicine

    The taste of bubbles

    Taste cell for sourness senses fizz, too.