Senior physics writer Emily Conover joined Science News in 2016. She has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago, where she studied the weird ways of neutrinos, tiny elementary particles that can zip straight through the Earth. She got her first taste of science writing as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She has previously written for Science Magazine and the American Physical Society. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award,  and a winner of the Acoustical Society of America’s Science Communication Award.

All Stories by Emily Conover

  1. Science & Society

    Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plan has a major obstacle: Physics

    Scientists suggest the missile defense plan will face big hurdles, especially given its projected timeline and cost.

  2. Physics

    Scientists used a levitating magnet to hunt for dark matter

    The quantum-based magnet technique could allow scientists to spot ultralight dark matter particles.

  3. Quantum Physics

    The unsung women of quantum physics get their due

    The new book, Women in the History of Quantum Physics, spotlights the oft-forgotten contributions of women scientists in the field.

  4. Quantum Physics

    As quantum mechanics turns 100, a new revolution is under way

    With greater control over the quantum realm, physicists are poised to make major leaps in quantum computing, quantum gravity and more.

  5. Physics

    Physicists explain how cheese rosettes form

    Rosettes made by scraping Tête de Moine, or “monk’s head,” cheese result from variations in the friction between the blade and the cheese.

  6. Physics

    Imitation dark matter axions have arrived. They could reveal the real thing

    A long-elusive, hypothetical subatomic particle called the axion can be simulated and potentially detected in a type of thin material.

  7. Particle Physics

    Neutrinos’ maximum possible mass shrinks further

    The KATRIN experiment in Germany nearly halved the maximum possible mass for neutrinos, setting it at 0.45 electron volts.

  8. Particle Physics

    Physicists have confirmed a new mismatch between matter and antimatter 

    Charge-parity violation is thought to explain why there’s more matter than antimatter in the universe. Scientists just spotted it in a new place.

  9. Quantum Physics

    Physicists are mostly unconvinced by Microsoft’s new topological quantum chip

    Majorana qubits could be error resistant. But after a contentious talk at the Global Physics Summit, scientists aren’t convinced Microsoft has them.

  10. Physics

    Calls to restart nuclear weapons tests stir dismay and debate among scientists

    Many scientists say “subcritical” experiments and computer simulations make nuclear weapons testing unnecessary.

  11. Cosmology

    A map of 14 million galaxies and quasars deepens a dark energy mystery

    The DESI experiment shocked cosmologists with a hint that dark energy varies over time. Now, with more data, the conclusions hold up.

  12. Physics

    The sound of clapping, explained by physics

    The “Helmholtz resonator” concept explains the frequencies of sound produced by clapping the hands together in different configurations.