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.

All Stories by Emily Conover

  1. Physics

    A nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping 

    Nuclear clocks could rival atomic clocks and allow for new tests of fundamental physics. A new experiment demonstrates all the ingredients needed.

  2. Physics

    Mayo is weirdly great for understanding nuclear fusion experiments

    Mayonnaise’s texture is perfect for mimicking what a fusion fuel capsule goes through after it’s blasted with lasers.

  3. Particle Physics

    The possibilities for dark matter have just shrunk — by a lot 

    The LZ dark matter experiment has ruled out weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs, with a wide range of properties.

  4. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists blamed migraines on cheese and chocolate

    Exactly how migraines develop is still coming into focus, but scientists now know that many factors can trigger attacks.

  5. Physics

    Paper cut physics pinpoints the most hazardous types of paper

    Dot matrix printer paper is the most treacherous, physicists report. Magazine paper comes in second.

  6. Particle Physics

    Dark matter experiments get a first peek at the ‘neutrino fog’ 

    The hint of fog marks a new way to observe neutrinos, but points to the beginning of the end for this type of dark matter detection.

  7. Chemistry

    A new element on the periodic table might be within reach 

    Scientists made the known element 116 with a beam of titanium atoms, a technique that could be used to make the undiscovered element 120.

  8. Physics

    Can light spark superconductivity? A new study reignites debate

    Brief blasts of light might make some materials into fleeting superconductors. Magnetic measurements strengthen the case for this controversial claim.

  9. Physics

    Advanced nuclear reactors need a different type of uranium. Here’s 4 things to know 

    The nuclear fuel of the future may be HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium. But questions about the material remain.

  10. Physics

    A black hole made from pure light is impossible, thanks to quantum physics 

    A “kugelblitz” is a black hole made of concentrated electromagnetic energy. But it’s not possible to make one, according to new calculations.

  11. Quantum Physics

    Physicists measured Earth’s rotation using quantum entanglement

    The experiment is a step toward testing how quantum physics interfaces with gravity.

  12. Particle Physics

    Scientists propose a hunt for never-before-seen ‘tauonium’ atoms 

    Made of heavy relatives of the electron, the exotic atoms could be used to test the theory of quantum electrodynamics.