Natalie Wolchover was a staff writer for Live Science and a contributor to Space.com from 2010 to 2012. She is now a senior writer and editor at Quanta Magazine, where she specializes in the physical sciences. Her writing has appeared in publications including Popular Science and Nature and has been included in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Tufts University and has studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley.
Latest articles by Natalie Wolchover

By Natalie Wolchover Last updated
Reference Here's how you can make your own simple solar eclipse viewer using a shoe box.

By Natalie Wolchover Last updated
Scientists say there are Higgs bosons in space, but they are like trees falling in the forest with no one there to hear them.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has met two criteria indicating it has left the solar system, the first manmade object to do so.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A daredevil will skydive to Earth from 23 miles up on Oct. 8, achieving supersonic speeds during his freefall. Experts explain the physics of this unprecedented act.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
On the decks of the Curiosity rover, some of the most advanced equipment ever developed by humans is being held together by some of the oldest forms of human technology: intricate knots.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A trio of photons emitted seven billion years ago from a gamma ray burst threaten to scrap decades of research by theoretical physicists.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Armstrong always insisted his famous moon quote was a misquote.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Two weeks in, NASA's Curiosity rover has already caught several alleged UFOs and other anomalies on camera, according to the fringe sector of the Internet.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Scientists have long debated whether the universe is a fractal.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Physicists say the Big Bang was a phase change, like water freezing into ice, rather than an explosion. The theory could have big implications.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
We know that iron oxide makes Mars appear red, but we don't know exactly how so much of the compound got there.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Astronomers have figured out how four previously unexplained "monster stars" could have formed.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
NASA's Curiosity rover will look for complex organic molecules on Mars that would be telltale signs of ancient Martian life. What will happen if it finds some?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
The Web has come alive with chatter about a UFO hovering over the opening ceremony of the Olympics. But it sure looks a lot like a blimp.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
There has never been an openly gay or lesbian astronaut at NASA. Sally Ride's legacy could change that.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Astronauts say space has an extremely distinctive, and not unpleasant, smell.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Considering all the mysteries that remain, Pluto's newfound moon almost definitely won't be the last of its surprises.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A fifth moon has been spotted orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto. What will this

By Natalie Wolchover Published
The famous "Wow! signal," a possible alien message, will soon receive a reply from humanity. You can contribute a message via Twitter tonight (June 29).

By Natalie Wolchover Published
The famous "Wow! signal," a radio transmission that may or may not have been beamed toward Earth by aliens, will soon receive a reply from humanity.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Investigators have addressed many of the most famous UFO and alien claims in history. Did they uncover any evidence?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A new film depicts the range of human reactions in the run-up to an Earth-shattering asteroid collision. Is Hollywood's version of events realistic?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
On board China's upcoming mission will be the country's first female astronaut. Who is the Chinese Sally Ride, and how was she chosen?
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