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

    Neutrinos seen scattering off an atom’s nucleus for the first time

    New type of interaction confirms that neutrinos play by the rules.

  2. Physics

    Virgo detector joins LIGO in the search for gravitational waves

    The Virgo detector near Pisa, Italy, has begun searching for subtle ripples in the fabric of spacetime.

  3. Materials Science

    Diamond joins the realm of 2-D thin films, study suggests

    Scientists squeezed graphene sheets into diamondene.

  4. Materials Science

    The thinnest films of copper look flat, but they aren’t

    It turns out that thin films of copper don’t lay flat, a discovery that has implications for computers and handheld electronics.

  5. Quantum Physics

    Quantum tunneling takes time, new study shows

    A new measurement disfavors the idea that electrons can escape atoms instantaneously.

  6. Astronomy

    ‘Making Contact’ chronicles an astronomer’s struggle to find E.T.

    For decades, astronomer Jill Tarter led the hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence, as detailed in a new biography.

  7. Physics

    Majorana fermion detected in a quantum layer cake

    Scientists found evidence of a particle that is its own antiparticle.

  8. Tech

    The incredible shrinking transistor just got smaller

    Tiniest transistor, made with carbon nanotubes, suggests computers aren’t done shrinking down.

  9. Physics

    Scientists peek inside the mind of Maxwell’s demon

    Scientists probe information retained by Maxwell’s demon.

  10. Astronomy

    Teeny-weeny star vies for title of smallest known

    A Saturn-sized star is one of the smallest yet discovered.

  11. Astronomy

    Teensy star vies for title of smallest known

    A Saturn-sized star is one of the smallest yet discovered.

  12. Particle Physics

    Newfound particle relies on its charm(s)

    First-of-its-kind subatomic particle is composed of two charm quarks and an up quark.