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. 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.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Junk food junkies

    Rats on a junk food diet behave like drug addicts.

  3. Animals

    Giant snakes invading North America

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

  4. Tech

    Batteries built by viruses

    Scientists use microbes to create tiny power supplies.

  5. Chemistry

    The secret life of fruit flies

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

  6. Health & Medicine

    The taste of bubbles

    Taste cell for sourness senses fizz, too.

  7. Environment

    Flu river

    Rivers polluted with Tamiflu could help a resistant flu strain develop in birds.

  8. Archaeology

    Meet your mysterious relative

    Ardi climbed trees and walked on two legs 4.4 million years ago.

  9. Tech

    Are cell phones safe?

    About 4 billion people use cell phones, but are they safe?

  10. Space

    Not bone-dry after all: the moon holds water

    New moon studies turn up water on and under the lunar surface.

  11. Space

    Galaxies far, far, far away

    Images from the Hubble Space Telescope show galaxies that formed when the universe was a child.

  12. Genetics

    Two monkeys see a more colorful world

    A genetic experiment changes the way monkeys see the world.