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 taste of bubbles

    Taste cell for sourness senses fizz, too.

  2. Environment

    Flu river

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

  3. Archaeology

    Meet your mysterious relative

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

  4. Tech

    Are cell phones safe?

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

  5. Space

    Not bone-dry after all: the moon holds water

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

  6. Genetics

    Two monkeys see a more colorful world

    A genetic experiment changes the way monkeys see the world.

  7. Space

    Galaxies far, far, far away

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

  8. Chemistry

    The case of the headless ant

    Flies find and decapitate fire ants by tracking their venom.

  9. Fossils

    Mini T. rex

    Scientists have unearthed a dinosaur skeleton that looks like a person-sized Tyrannosaurus rex.

  10. Environment

    A gassy threat from above

    In Earth’s atmosphere, nitrous oxide threatens the ozone layer.

  11. Brain

    A brain-boosting video game

    A new study suggests that playing Tetris builds gray matter.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Making good, brown fat

    Researchers find a way to make energy-burning fat out of other types of cells.