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

    Einstein’s general relativity reveals new quirk of Mercury’s orbit

    A tiny effect of general relativity on Mercury’s orbit has been calculated for the first time.

  2. Particle Physics

    The search for mysterious dark matter underdogs steps up

    Dark matter particles called axions are finally being put to the test.

  3. Physics

    How physicists will remember Stephen Hawking

    Researchers reflect on Stephen Hawking's contributions to the field and the cosmological puzzles he left behind.

  4. Cosmology

    Why the Nobel Prize might need a makeover

    In Losing the Nobel Prize, astrophysicist Brian Keating discusses the downsides of science’s top honor.

  5. Life

    Why cracking your knuckles can be so noisy

    Knuckles crack due to the partial collapse of bubbles in joint fluid, a new study suggests.

  6. Astronomy

    Dark matter is MIA in this strange galaxy

    A galaxy without dark matter bolsters the case that the invisible substance really exists.

  7. Physics

    A single atom can gauge teensy electromagnetic forces

    The force of scattering particles of light was measured in zeptonewtons, a billionth of a trillionth of a newton.

  8. Physics

    STEVE the aurora makes its debut in mauve

    A newly discovered type of aurora is a visible version of usually invisible charged particles drifting in the upper atmosphere.

  9. Math

    Forget Pi Day. We should be celebrating Tau Day

    Pi Day may be fun, but it’s based on a flawed mathematical constant.

  10. Cosmology

    Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking dies at 76

    Beyond his research contributions, Stephen Hawking popularized black holes and the deep questions of the cosmos.

  11. Quantum Physics

    Superconductors may shed light on the black hole information paradox

    Materials that conduct electricity without resistance might mimic black hole physics.

  12. Physics

    Give double-layer graphene a twist and it superconducts

    When graphene layers are twisted to a “magic angle,” the material superconducts.