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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Plants

    These are the first plants grown in moon dirt

    The first attempt to grow plants in Apollo samples from the moon shows the promise and potential struggles of farming in lunar soil.

  5. 50 years ago, scientists thought a desert shrub might help save endangered whales

    Fifty years ago, scientists sought a sustainable alternative to prized oil from endangered sperm whales.

  6. Animals

    Here’s how boa constrictors squeeze their dinner without suffocating themselves

    Carefully controlled breathing allows boa constrictors to pull off their signature move without cutting off their own air supply.

  7. Science & Society

    How Science News has been a training ground for young science journalists

    A long-standing internship along with informal mentorship are part of the tradition at Science News.

  8. Science & Society

    We’re celebrating a century of Science News

    Across a century of science journalism, Science News has covered the Scopes trial, the moonwalk, Dolly the Sheep and more.

  9. Quantum Physics

    A new gravity sensor used atoms’ weird quantum behavior to peer underground

    Quantum sensors promise to be more accurate and stable in the long run than other gravity probes.

  10. Planetary Science

    50 years ago, Arecibo got an unprecedented view of Venus’ surface

    Over its 57-year lifetime, Arecibo’s radar system measured the mountains around Venus’ middle, studied the textures of many rocky bodies in outer space and more.

  11. Neuroscience

    Americans tend to assume imaginary faces are male

    When people see imaginary faces in everyday objects, those faces are more likely to be perceived as male, a new study shows.

  12. Animals

    Here’s what goldfish driving ‘cars’ tell us about navigation

    When measuring intelligence, the saying goes, don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. But what about its ability to drive a vehicle?