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. Particle Physics

    Mysterious neutrino surplus hints at the existence of new particles

    Neutrinos show up in greater numbers than expected in an experiment, possibly bolstering the idea of a fourth type of the particle.

  2. Particle Physics

    Dark matter particles elude scientists in the biggest search of its kind

    The XENON1T experiment saw no signs of hypothetical dark matter particles called WIMPs.

  3. Astronomy

    Maverick asteroid might be an immigrant from outside the solar system

    A space rock’s backward orbit could be a hint of unusual origins.

  4. Particle Physics

    The inside of a proton endures more pressure than anything else we’ve seen

    For the first time, scientists used experimental data to estimate the pressure inside a proton.

  5. Physics

    Despite a new measurement, the neutron’s lifetime is still puzzling

    Two techniques for gauging the subatomic particle’s longevity disagree.

  6. Particle Physics

    The proton’s weak side is just as feeble as physicists thought

    Scientists make the most precise measurement yet of the proton’s weak charge and find it agrees with predictions.

  7. Astronomy

    Gaia delivers a trove of data revealing secrets of the Milky Way

    Astronomers are already using Gaia’s new information to estimate the galaxy’s mass, the diameter of exoplanets and more.

  8. Math

    Real numbers don’t cut it in the real world, this physicist argues

    Physicist Nicolas Gisin argues that real numbers don’t properly represent the natural world, which is a good thing for free will.

  9. Physics

    ‘Time crystals’ created in two new types of materials

    A state of matter that repeats itself in time, not space, was found in certain liquids and a solid.

  10. Physics

    Neutron stars shed neutrinos to cool down quickly

    Scientists find the first clear evidence of rapid cooling of a neutron star by neutrino emission.

  11. Physics

    A DIY take on the early universe may reveal cosmic secrets

    A conglomerate of ultracold atoms reproduces some of the physics of the early universe.

  12. Quantum Physics

    Split atom clouds get entangled in quantum tests

    Scientists create quantum links between clouds consisting of thousands of atoms.