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

    Less ice, more seawater

    Shrinking ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, large-scale study confirms.

  2. Planets

    Ice on Mercury

    MESSENGER spacecraft provides evidence for frozen water on planet closest to sun.

  3. Environment

    Trees on the edge

    Serious drought is a threat to most trees, worldwide survey finds.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Ebola in the air

    A deadly virus can spread through the air from pigs to monkeys.

  5. Animals

    Threatened coral get fishy rescue

    When toxic seaweed gets too close to this coral, gobies fight and bite back.

  6. Chemistry

    Explainer: Ocean acidification

    Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.

  7. Brain

    Baby’s stress can last decades

    Early stress may impair adult behavior, especially in girls.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Healthier mice, through X-rays

    In sickly mice, small doses of radiation helped while vitamins harmed.

  9. Tech

    How to stop a speeding bullet

    Scientists take a close look at a plastic that has Superman’s ability to stop a speeding bullet.

  10. Space

    Twinkle, twinkle oldest stars

    Astronomers find traces of ancient light in the activity of bright, distant galaxies.

  11. Fossils

    Shoulder bones fuel debate

    Fossil shoulder blades suggest an ancient humanlike species may have been at home in the trees as well as on the ground.

  12. Climate

    Evolution of a Frankenstorm

    Huge, late October hurricane turned into a superstorm that savaged much of the eastern United States.