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
![Earth breathes in this cool animation by Markus Reichstein.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VCrJB25SnUBCgUgKNSEjMK-320-80.gif)
Earth inhales and exhales carbon in mesmerizing animation
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new animation of Earth shows vegetation taking up and releasing carbon in sync with the seasons.
![A famous photograph taken by a government employee of an unidentified aerial phenomenon over the Holloman Air Development Center on Oct. 16, 1957. The object may have been secret U.S. technology.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9iPRXD9o9P4psmXGn42jrF-320-80.jpg)
Pentagon launches new UFO office. Not all believers are happy about it.
By Stephanie Pappas published
The U.S. government will officially investigate UFOs with a new office based in the Pentagon.
![Researchers found a hole in the mantle layer of Earth in the Cocos tectonic plate, which lies right off the coast of Panama. Shown here, a 3D rendering of a topographic map of Panama.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ttSjt4t7byadYJrwk93xnZ-320-80.jpg)
'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.
![A knot and a graph representing the problems that the artificial intelligence program DeepMind tackled.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Hiqhdc8Q6f9ztSWDY7M88m-320-80.jpg)
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.
![Star trails over Alberta, Canada, captured as the Earth spins at night. Earth's rotation has settled down since 2020.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S2GDv3fBh7igNzvM5RcAwQ-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![A polynya grows in the Last Ice Area above Canada’s Ellesmere Island. The gap in the ice was open for around two weeks in May 2020 due to strong, anticyclonic winds in the Arctic.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HEdeiK9YhdGsQjWEQSwYrH-320-80.gif)
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.
![Ice calving from the fracture zone of a glacier crashes into the ocean in Greenland. Melting of such glacial ice is leading to the warping of Earth's crust.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fiF4wAmfhkMChneLWg8PHG-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![Astronomy Photographer of the Year 13](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E4E6aVAQPfAn45iEcJqvme-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![Romanian photographer Bogdan Borz captured this image of the nebula IC 2944 — 6,000 light-years away — from Chile.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mGkM3fq3mDzBZgUXbAoCy6-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![Artist's impression of Kuiper Belt objects.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xnt7peLw4KBBqNQjj397x9-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![The images show the dark matter halo of the largest galaxy cluster formed in the simulation at different magnifications.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZVXaKbDEWNEBfePfiCoFqA-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![Greenland ice sheet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ersmatw2KV7EGVLMeKk9nS-320-80.jpeg)
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 snapped this image of a cute textured rock within Gale Crater on sol 3190 (or for Earthlings, July 27, 2021).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8ZHbqiSLvuR9Y9bQfAoo4E-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![A view of a brilliant fireball that let up the night sky over North Texas on July 25, 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9Zq9jQFLHNLFBbVmTEk8SC-320-80.gif)
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.
![A rare meteorite found in England in March 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/45GMFE4GphS6UV3UZq9FHB-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![Changes in the ice surface of the Amery Ice Shelf in Antarctica reveal the rapid draining of a lake deep below in 2019.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sdFFRsJfVUpCdVvhzHcDXL-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![astronomy photographer of the year the cave](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ghb4UMdAa962Jm9tHjb5Lh-320-80.jpeg)
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
![Ice fractures on the Wilson ice shelf off the coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hHHjV52Jk3rFuZL2aJvTkX-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![This image created with satellite data shows extreme heat in the Southwest on June 15, 2021. The region has been facing heat waves and drought going into the summer.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ENTyP4F4FYYFNLKSJndkve-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![A team led by UMD astronomers created the first clear image of an expanding bubble of stellar gas where stars are born using data from NASA's SOFIA telescope on board a heavily modified 747 jet as seen here in this artist's rendering.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s2yRdhrkQSKycRYfKopWwU-320-80.jpeg)
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.
![The Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet takes 5.5 million years to complete its orbit.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m4TBsUkd62jkQpcuhAoWYV-320-80.jpg)
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.
![Xu Li, CEO of SenseTime Group Ltd., is identified by the A.I. company's facial recognition system at the company’s showroom in Beijing, China, on June 15, 2018.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AHFXeqRX8gF2R6SHqRpfkj-320-80.jpeg)
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
![A map of tropical water vapor from NASA. Research on water vapor and other climate features suggests that satellite measurements might have underestimated past warming.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EFNSNmq38V5t2WN2RgtmqH-320-80.jpeg)
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.