headshot of Asa Stahl

Asa Stahl

AAAS Mass Media fellow, 2022

Asa Stahl was the 2022 AAAS Mass Media fellow with Science News. He is a 5th year Astrophysics Ph.D. student at Rice University, where his research focuses on detecting and characterizing young stars and planets. He has written for the Houston Chronicle and Sky & Telescope, and authored a children’s astronomy book, The Big Bang Book.

All Stories by Asa Stahl

  1. Particle Physics

    Carlos Argüelles hunts for particles beyond the standard model

    Carlos Argüelles overcame hardship and discrimination to pursue a passion for physics.

  2. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists hoped freezing donor organs would boost transplants

    In the 1970s, biologists hoped to freeze organs so more could last long enough to be transplanted. Scientists are now starting to manage this feat.

  3. Humans

    Why humans have more voice control than any other primates

    Unlike all other studied primates, humans lack vocal membranes. That lets humans produce the sounds that language is built on, a new study suggests.

  4. Tech

    Scientists turned dead spiders into robots

    In a new field dubbed “necrobotics,” researchers used a syringe and some superglue to control the dead bodies of wolf spiders.

  5. Health & Medicine

    This stick-on ultrasound patch could let you watch your own heart beat

    A new, coin-sized ultrasound probe can stick to the skin like a Band-Aid for up to two days straight, marking a milestone in personalized medicine.

  6. Space

    Amateur astronomers’ images of a rare double aurora may unlock its secrets

    With breathtaking videos, citizen scientists have shown researchers a new pattern of auroras that may solve the mystery behind a strange red glow.

  7. Planetary Science

    A new look at the ‘mineral kingdom’ may transform how we search for life

    A new census of Earth’s crystal past hints that life may have begun earlier than expected, and could be a tool to look for water and life elsewhere.

  8. Paleontology

    Megatooth sharks may have been higher on the food chain than any ocean animal ever

    Some megalodons and their ancestors were the ultimate apex predators, outeating all known marine animals, researchers report.

  9. Astronomy

    Gravitational wave ‘radar’ could help map the invisible universe

    Gravity ripples scattering off warped spacetime near massive objects might help astronomers peer inside stars and find globs of dark matter.

  10. Animals

    These tiny marsupials survived wildfires only to face extinction from feral cats

    The Kangaroo Island dunnart was one species seen to reemerge after 2019–2020 Australian bushfires but is now closer than ever to extinction.

  11. Astronomy

    New Gaia data paint the most detailed picture yet of the Milky Way

    Gaia’s new data can tell us about galaxies the Milky Way has swallowed, the young solar system and asteroids that could hit Earth.