Maria Temming

Maria Temming

Assistant Managing Editor, Science News Explores

Previously the staff writer for physical sciences at Science News, Maria Temming is the assistant managing editor at Science News Explores. She has undergraduate degrees in physics and English from Elon University and a master's degree in science writing from MIT. She has written for Scientific AmericanSky & Telescope and NOVA Next. She’s also a former Science News intern.

All Stories by Maria Temming

  1. Animals

    Northern elephant seals sleep just two hours a day at sea

    The marine mammals have truly awesome stamina for staying awake, sleeping only minutes at a time on months-long trips at sea.

  2. Planetary Science

    Venus has almost 50 times as many volcanoes as previously thought

    Where are there NOT volcanoes on Venus? A new map of the planet unveils a veritable volcanic bonanza.

  3. Humans

    50 years ago, scientists debated when humans first set foot in North America

    In 1973, archaeologists debated when people first arrived in the Americas. Mounting evidence suggests its much earlier than they thought.

  4. Physics

    A powerful laser can redirect lightning strikes

    In a mountaintop experiment, a laser beamed into the sky created a virtual lightning rod that snagged several bolts before they hit the ground.

  5. Archaeology

    50 years ago, Stonehenge’s purpose mystified scientists. It still does

    In 1972, scientists thought Stonehenge may have been a calendar. Today, we still don’t know its purpose, but we have gained insight on its origin.

  6. Animals

    Bizarre aye-aye primates take nose picking to the extreme

    A nose-picking aye-aye’s spindly middle finger probably reaches all the way to the back of the throat, CT scans suggest.

  7. Planetary Science

    NASA’s DART spacecraft just smashed into an asteroid — on purpose

    If the first-ever attempt to knock a space rock off course works, it could provide a blueprint to protect Earth from a killer asteroid.

  8. Particle Physics

    50 years ago, physicists got a whiff of what glues together protons

    In 1972, particle smashups hinted at the gluon, which we now know not only holds together the innards of the proton, but also makes up more than a third of its mass.

  9. Paleontology

    Living fast may have helped mammals like ‘ManBearPig’ dominate

    Staying in the womb for a while but being born ready to rock may have helped post-dinosaur mammals take over the planet.

  10. Paleontology

    50 years ago, the dinosaurs’ demise was still a mystery 

    In 1972, scientists blamed dinosaur biology for the reptiles’ demise. Years later, researchers ID’d the real killer: an apocalyptic asteroid.

  11. Tech

    This octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects

    The human hand, for all its deftness, is not great at grasping slippery stuff. A new glove aims to change that.

  12. Tech

    Scientists grew living human skin around a robotic finger

    In the hopes of one day building super realistic cyborgs, researchers built a robotic finger that wears living human skin.