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
'Wind' from Earth's middle layer blows through a secret passage beneath Panama
By Stephanie Pappas published
The mysterious presence of mantle materials more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from where they originated may be explained by a 'window' 62 miles (100 kilometers) below the Earth's surface.
DeepMind cracks 'knot' conjecture that bedeviled mathematicians for decades
By Stephanie Pappas published
The artificial intelligence (AI) program DeepMind has gotten closer to proving a math conjecture that's bedeviled mathematicians for decades.
Earth's spin has slowed. But we still may need a negative leap second.
By Stephanie Pappas published
After speeding up during 2020, the Earth's spin had settled down. A negative leap second may still be needed in the next decade.
Huge hole discovered in Arctic's 'last ice'
By Stephanie Pappas published
A polynya, or rift, opened in the Arctic's oldest, thickest ice in May 2020, new research finds.
Vanishing ice is warping Earth's crust
By Stephanie Pappas published
The melting of Earth's polar ice is warping the planet's crust. Here's how that's linked to climate change.
Solar eclipse looks otherworldly in 'Golden Ring' astrophotography shot
By Stephanie Pappas published
The winning photographs for the 13th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards have been announced, and the sun is the star of the show.
Photos: Astrophotographers capture stunning views of the night sky for 2021 contest
By Stephanie Pappas published
Here's a look at stunning astronomy images from the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
Cosmic objects with strange orbits discovered beyond Neptune
By Stephanie Pappas published
A six-year search of space beyond the orbit of Neptune has netted 461 newly discovered objects, including four that could shed light on Planet Nine.
Travel through galaxies and the dark matter web in this stunning universe simulation
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new freely downloadable universe simulation reveals the structure of galaxies and galactic clusters over more than 13 billion years of history.
6 mysterious structures hidden beneath the Greenland ice sheet
By Stephanie Pappas published
The Greenland ice sheet, nearly 2 miles thick in places, hides a landscape of canyons, mountains, fjords and gem-like lakes.
Curiosity rover finds cute little rock 'lizard' on Mars
By Stephanie Pappas published
A small rock arch in Gale Crater is a whimsical example of the textures of Mars.
Fireball streaks across North Texas, creating light show and sonic boom
By Stephanie Pappas last updated
A fireball streaked across North Texas last night, leading to several hundred witness reports of a bright flash and sonic boom.
4.6 billion-year-old meteorite found in horseshoe footprint
By Stephanie Pappas published
A meteorite found nestled in a horseshoe imprint in England was formed in the early days of the solar system and may contain the building blocks of life.
NASA uncovers hidden system of mysteriously draining lakes under Antarctica
By Stephanie Pappas published
NASA scientists have mapped the dynamic, ever-shifting lakes beneath Antarctica in more detail than ever before.
These are the best astronomy images of 2021
By Stephanie Pappas published
The best astronomy photos of 2021 invite the eye upward and outward, bringing stunning views such as auroras above Earth and visions of a stellar nursery
Earth's cryosphere loses enough ice to cover Lake Superior every year
By Stephanie Pappas published
The planet has been losing 33,000 square miles (87,000 square kilometers) of ice coverage each year since 1979.
Half the country is facing an apocalyptic summer
By Stephanie Pappas published
A severe drought going into the summer is setting up the western United States for water rationing and nasty wildfires.
Boiling 'baby bubble' where stars are born comes into view
By Stephanie Pappas published
A gorgeous new image of Westerlund 2 shows a birthplace of new stars in the Milky Way in unprecedented detail.
Never-before-seen colossal comet on a trek toward the sun
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new visitor is swinging by the solar system: a never-before-observed comet that hails from the Oort Cloud.
Expect an Orwellian future if AI isn't kept in check, Microsoft exec says
By Stephanie Pappas published
Speaking on the BBC show 'Panorama,' Microsoft's Brad Smith warned that unless checks are put in place, artificial intelligence could lead to a dystopian future
Satellites may have been underestimating the planet's warming for decades
By Stephanie Pappas published
Satellite observations of different climate variables don't quite add up, suggesting these measurements might be missing something about the atmosphere.
Earth nearly lost all its oxygen 2.3 billion years ago
By Stephanie Pappas published
The permanent oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere took twice as long as previously believed and finally finished up to 100 million years later than expected.
Hidden boundaries of lost continent 'Zealandia' revealed in incredible detail
By Stephanie Pappas published
The lost continent is a submerged chunk of crust that broke off from Gondwana 80 million years ago.