Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Space.com sister site Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Latest articles by Stephanie Pappas
![A lonely rider at Altay Mountains.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2DejnX9AQCmGboxzuoYDrd-320-80.jpg)
Boiling rocks from Earth's crust tore an ocean into Mongolia 410 million years ago
By Stephanie Pappas published
An ocean that opened up in what is now Mongolia 410 million years ago was created by a hot upwelling of rock known as a mantle plume.
![a wispy purple ribbon stretches across the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mbfMQ4MFaM2UYEf6rgTYHh-320-80.jpg)
Aurora-like STEVE phenomenon has a 'secret twin' that appears only before dawn, study finds
By Stephanie Pappas published
An atmospheric phenomenon known as STEVE has a secret twin that appears before the break of dawn and flows in the opposite direction, new research finds.
![An image of an open oceans surface with crashing waves and a stormy sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KkMcvDWNqvKsnvVUaMEi5o-320-80.jpg)
'We are approaching the tipping point': Marker for the collapse of key Atlantic current discovered
By Stephanie Pappas published
A vital Atlantic current that includes the Gulf Stream and keeps our climate in check may be giving off a warning sign of collapse.
![An image of the sun in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mmHsxcNMiF5mgrrqZp8KfX-320-80.jpg)
The sun may be smaller than we thought
By Stephanie Pappas published
New calculations suggest the sun is a few fractions of a percent smaller than previously estimated, and that could change how we study it.
![The speed of light is a speed limit on everything in our universe. Or is it?](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DUUG457cCKADE7bC4tQMda-320-80.jpg)
Distorted crystals use 'pseudogravity' to bend light like black holes do
By Stephanie Pappas published
Researchers have used a special crystal to bend the trajectory of light like a black hole would, a phenomenon known as 'pseudogravity.'
![map showing the pontus plate which vanished 20 million years ago](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xdhn79FDZS83cVGRYmSPZK-320-80.jpg)
Scientists discover ghost of ancient mega-plate that disappeared 20 million years ago
By Stephanie Pappas published
A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed 'Pontus' that was a quarter of the size of the Pacific Ocean was discovered by chance by scientists studying ancient rocks in Borneo.
![a pile of silvery niobium, a rare earth element](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gyvgoWEjLXkdHxqfafSxz3-320-80.jpg)
China discovers never-before-seen ore containing a highly valuable rare earth element
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new ore, dubbed niobobaotite, was discovered in Inner Mongolia's Bayan Obo deposit.
![Baijifeng Mountain in China, a forested mountain range of green.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uHJHLpkEexEodWiNtPmyai-320-80.jpg)
World's 1st mountaintop impact crater discovered in northeastern China
By Stephanie Pappas published
A two-peaked mountain in northeastern China is the site of the world's first confirmed mountaintop crater.
![Rough diamond, precious stone in mine.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EdJp6FgQo8RAzeQtHyFGZb-320-80.jpg)
Fountains of diamonds erupt from Earth's center as supercontinents break up
By Stephanie Pappas published
Researchers have discovered a pattern where diamonds spew from deep beneath Earth's surface in huge, explosive volcanic eruptions.
![Illustration of atomic orb.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Che9MFYiLeKtxaJW5ZMgRb-320-80.jpg)
'Quantum superchemistry' observed for the 1st time ever
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new type of chemistry performed at very cold temperatures on very small particles enables quick, precise reactions.
![An illustration depicting the layers of Earth's internal structure..](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sQc8Jx9qPXZTnwBWVVF9dS-320-80.jpeg)
Swirls of liquid iron may be trapped inside Earth's 'solid' core
By Stephanie Pappas published
Though Earth's innermost core is solid, new research suggests that it hosts a lot of variation.
![a white star with a crystal core](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/siJ6XYPwD4qNXetL9YTQMJ-320-80.png)
This collapsed star is turning into an gigantic diamond before our eyes
By Stephanie Pappas published
Scientists have found a white dwarf that is cooling and crystallizing into a giant diamond.
![An illustration of a metallic, orblike alien craft blasting twin beams of blue light into space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W2HH6LS4DhGArLJQ4Ygyv8-320-80.jpg)
Repeated signals from the center of the Milky Way could be aliens saying hello, new study claims
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new search for extraterrestrial life has scientists looking inward — toward the center of our galaxy.
![The newfound asteroid 2023 DZ2 is seen during its close approach to Earth on March 25, 2023 in a NASA animation.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eREddWjuE7cXgC7ZmAYGF5-320-80.jpg)
Skyscraper-size asteroid will get closer to Earth than the moon on March 25
By Stephanie Pappas published
Asteroid 2023 DZ2 will zip between Earth and the moon's orbit on March 25 and may be visible with the right telescope.
![Comet ISON seen making a close approach to the sun in 2013. A newly discovered comet, C/2023 A3, will appear far brighter in the sky if it survives the sun's rays in fall 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u3XrHD6odXpeidHLqJi3q9-320-80.jpg)
Bright new comet discovered zooming toward the sun could outshine the stars next year
By Stephanie Pappas published
The newly discovered comet C/2023 A3 is making a close approach around the sun for the first time in 80,000 years, and might be as bright as a star in fall 2024.
![The bumpy texture of these rocks is the clearest evidence yet from Mount Sharp of an ancient Martian lake. Billions of years ago, wind playing across the surface of a shallow lake disturbed the lake-bottom sediments, which eventually became these rocks.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DrqzAszJa4fqKPqim8LMi8-320-80.jpg)
NASA rover snaps photos of ancient 'waves' carved into Mars mountainside
By Stephanie Pappas published
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has photographed clear signs of ripples locked into a Martian rock, a sign of an ancient lake on the Red Planet's surface.
![A close-up image of white salt crystals on the gray and rocky surface of a meteorite fragment](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N2XxsRWs6oAWi7nVmDveU9-320-80.jpg)
'Pristine' meteorite contaminated with table salt upon crash landing on Earth
By Stephanie Pappas published
The Winchcombe meteorite was collected mere hours after it fell, but researchers have found that it was already contaminated with earthly minerals, including common table salt.
![Part of the experimental setup for making medium-density amorphous ice.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wPyAcHAJzSWxCpgDNavLCb-320-80.jpg)
Scientists created a weird new type of ice that is almost exactly as dense as water
By Stephanie Pappas published
Researchers have created a never-before-seen form of ice with a disorganized structure and a density almost exactly that of liquid water.
![A small, whitish specimen of the fulgurite against a dark background. Fulgurite is fused sand from lightning or a downed power line.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rdqEuqCt5GpEmLeisbmoW4-320-80.jpg)
Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning
By Stephanie Pappas published
A type of crystal that breaks the rules of ordinary crystallography has been found in a tube of melted sand from Nebraska.
![An artist's illustration of two alien planets around a red sun.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dA2k7WLDgU3tepcTnjZHW5-320-80.jpg)
Why hasn't E.T. phoned Earth? Maybe aliens are waiting for the exact right moment.
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new search for alien signals focuses on planetary transits, when exoplanets pass right in front of their suns.
![Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes took this photo of the Quadrantid meteor shower on Jan. 4, 2012.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3fePyNgMTUSHuuenxtCVDS-320-80.jpg)
How to watch the Quadrantids – one of the best meteor showers all year – on Jan. 2 and 3
By Stephanie Pappas published
The Quadrantid meteor shower is considered one of the best to view all year. Here's how to maximize your chances of seeing shooting stars.
![In this aerial view, icebergs and meltwater are seen in front of the retreating Russell Glacier on Sept. 8, 2021 near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6kPdhzvjRyY5Xhw9KBNSVa-320-80.jpg)
Greenland's glaciers are melting 100 times faster than estimated
By Stephanie Pappas published
Scientists are getting a better handle on how fast Greenland's ice is flowing out to sea. Old models that used Antarctica as a baseline were way off the mark.
![A sample of Dresser Formation stromatolite, showing a complex layered structure formed of hematite, barite, and quartz, and a domed upper surface.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJA7SH4zUnb7rpzNMFFeTX-320-80.jpg)
3.5 billion-year-old rock structures are one of the oldest signs of life on Earth
By Stephanie Pappas published
Fossils called stromatolites from Western Australia were created by microbes 3.48 billion years ago.