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 Published
There are a couple of theories floating around about why the moon looks larger near the horizon. Either way, be sure to check out the effect during the "supermoon" on Saturday.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Have no fear of the supermoon this Saturday. Earth can handle its slightly-stronger-than-normal gravitational pull.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Finding a specimen from space takes hard work and dedication, but these steps will get you looking in the right direction.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Space law experts strongly disagree when it comes to the legal status of asteroid mining. Who owns mined materials – the company that goes and gets them, or all of mankind?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Dark matter has been called into question by a new survey of stars. But physicists think the survey, and not dark matter itself, is flawed, because the alternatives to dark matter theory are weak.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Have aliens erected a "monolith" on the surface of Mars?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A bright object that streaked across the daytime sky in Texas was actually a meteor, not a jet contrail.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A bright object that streaked across the daytime sky in Texas was actually a jet contrail, a NASA meteor expert confirms.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Spring is fireball season, as exemplified by a huge meteor that streaked across the Texas sky during the day last week. Scientists can't explain the seasonal uptick.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A shed-size metal object has been discovered outside a village in Siberia. Locals think it fell from space, but the Russian space agency doesn't recognize it as space technology.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
YouTube users have found a strange dark object tethered to the sun that they say is a refueling UFO spaceship. What is it?

By Natalie Wolchover Published
In a new video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a scientist addresses many of the claims surrounding the 2012 "Mayan apocalypse."

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Misinformation about asteroid 2012 DA14 sparked unnecessary panic this week.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
In a new paper, astronomers claim that a rare alignment of the Earth, moon and sun caused extreme tides that dislodged the iceberg that sunk the Titanic 100 years ago. Other scientists are skeptical.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
The famous faster than light neutrino result appears to be a mistake caused by a faulty fiber optic connection.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Guns can shoot in space, and this allows for all kinds of absurd scenarios.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
The Swiss CleanSpace One satellite will test ways to clean up space junk.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Japanese physicists have discovered that dark matter pervades interstellar space, extending from galaxy to galaxy to form an all-encompassing web of matter.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
You should always wear sunscreen, but there's no need to wear more than normal during a solar flare.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
A once-respected Russian scientist claims to have found evidence of life on Venus in 30-year-old photos.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Russia has accused the United States of accidentally downing its Mars-bound space probe with powerful radar. But scientists say this could not have been the case.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
For 50 years, NORAD Tracks Santa has monitored Santa's progress during his annual Christmas Eve trip around the world.

By Natalie Wolchover Published
Our familiar moon isn't alone up there, scientists say.
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