Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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First-of-its-kind video captures the terrifying moment the ground tore apart during major Myanmar earthquakeA security camera near Thazi, Myanmar, captured the earth cracking during a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in March.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
11 Commentsearthquakes -
Yosemite's ultra-deep canyon may have been carved in part by a ghost volcano and river, provocative research suggestsA river that drained the slopes of a now-vanished volcano may have carved Yosemite Valley's depths during the last 10 million years.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
7 Commentsgeology -
What does the Pope do, anyway?New pope's schedule will be 'exhausting.'
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
human-behavior -
People really can communicate with just their eyes, study findsNew research reveals how humans communicate through their gaze.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
human-behavior -
'The Big One' could rock the Pacific Northwest and fuel sea-level rise and massive floodingThe geology of the Cascadia subduction zone has largely staved off climate-related sea-level rise in the Pacific Northwest, but that could reverse in an instant.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
climate-change -
Simple blood test could help reveal whether melanoma will come backA new study finds that fragments of tumor DNA in a patient's bloodstream could show that they are at high risk of a melanoma recurrence.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
cancer -
Measles has long-term health consequencesMeasles can erase the immune system's "memory" and cause a rare but fatal health condition. The MMR vaccine prevents these repercussions, evidence shows.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
viruses-infections-disease -
An ocean of magma formed early in Earth's history and it may still influence our planet today, study findsRemnants of a liquid layer of magma near Earth's core, formed in the first few hundred million years of the planet's history, may still persist today as odd anomalies in the mantle.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
4 Commentsplanet-earth -
Study reveals 'flawed argument' in debate over when plate tectonics beganYou don't need plate tectonics to get continental crust that looks modern, a new study finds.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
geology -
Massive magma eruptions may have ripped Africa and South America apartHuge outpourings of magma accompanied the split between South America and Africa 135 million years ago.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
geology -
Jaw-dropping NASA image reveals a dying star at the heart of the Helix Nebula — and it may have just murdered a planetA new view of the Helix Nebula reveals a dying white dwarf star at the nebula's center. This star's violent eating habits could be responsible for strange X-ray emissions in the region.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
astronomy -
Cats: Facts about our feline friendsDiscover interesting facts about cat intelligence, how they see the world, and why we keep them around.
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
cats -
Chickens sprouted dino-like feathers when scientists messed with the Sonic Hedgehog geneScientists uncovered a key genetic pathway in the origin of feathers, but they found that evolution is stubborn in turning back the clock.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
3 Commentsbirds -
Biological secrets of world's oldest woman, Maria Branyas Morera, revealed after deathA study of a woman who died in 2024 as the oldest person on Earth attempts to untangle the factors that enable some people to ward off disease in old age.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
3 Commentsaging -
'Love hormone' oxytocin can pause pregnancy, animal study findsOxytocin, a hormone linked to bonding behaviors, might also help mice modulate their pregnancies. Someday, this line of research could improve our understanding of human fertility.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
reproductive-health -
Alaskan volcano Mount Spurr showing activity that will 'most likely end in an explosive eruption,' scientist saysMount Spurr near Anchorage has been showing signs of unrest for a year. Now scientists think it's creeping closer to an eruption.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
volcanoes -
Refuge from the worst mass extinction in Earth's history discovered fossilized in ChinaThe End-Permian mass extinction killed an estimated 80% of life on Earth, but new research suggests that plants might have done okay.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
10 Commentsextinct-species -
Scientists discover giant blobs deep inside Earth are 'evolving by themselves' — and we may finally know where they come fromGiant regions of the mantle where seismic waves slow down may have formed from subducted ocean crust, a new study finds.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
planet-earth -
What counts as a phobia?Specific phobias are out-of-proportion fears to objects, animals or situations, and fortunately, they can be treated.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
human-behavior -
'Primordial' helium from the birth of the solar system may be stuck in Earth's coreThe discovery that helium and iron can mix at the temperatures and pressures found at the center of Earth could settle a long-standing debate over how our planet formed.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
3 Commentsplanet-earth -
Italy's Campi Flegrei volcano may unleash devastating eruptions more often than we thought, ancient outburst suggestsA new look at an ancient eruption at Campi Flegrei raises new questions about the propensity of the still-active volcano, located near Naples, to produce major eruptions in the future.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
volcanoes -
Evolution itself can evolve, new study arguesA new computer model suggests that the process of evolution can get better at evolving in the face of environmental change.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
24 Commentsevolution -
'Stranded' Starliner astronauts finally have a return date — and it's sooner than expectedNASA will send astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home from the International Space Station early on a previously used SpaceX Dragon space capsule, not on a brand-new one, the agency announced.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
6 Commentsspace-exploration -
Earthquakes at massive Alaska volcano Mount Spurr ramp up again — and there's now a 50-50 chance of an eruptionTen months of unrest at Mount Spurr could be a sign of an upcoming eruption from a side vent or, less likely, from the main crater.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
volcanoes

