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. Health & Medicine

    The memory test

    Quizzing yourself while studying beats using the highlighter.

  2. Science fair at the White House

    Obama invites young scientists to show their stuff.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Bright dining makes mice gain weight

    Study connects nighttime light exposure, body mass.

  4. Fossils

    Prehistoric air travel

    Flying reptiles might have crossed oceans, continents nonstop.

  5. Tech

    Minimachines that move without batteries

    Chemistry powers tiny tools that have big potential.

  6. Chemistry

    Prizes award big ideas about small things

    Carbon and IVF win big in this year’s Nobel prizes.

  7. Humans

    Volcanic doom for Neandertals

    Eruptions may have helped set the stage for modern humans.

  8. Planets

    Faraway planet could support life

    A planet 20 light-years away could be the perfect distance from its star.

  9. Tech

    Crawling, nano-sized robots

    Built from DNA, these teeny bots move as directed.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Obesity and the common cold

    A study of children finds those who caught a particular virus were more likely to be obese.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Cockroaches could be good medicine

    Ground-up bug brains are shown to kill resistant bacteria.

  12. Brain

    Action gaming and quick thinking

    Playing action games can hone ability to decide quickly, precisely.