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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'ChatGPT moment for biology': Ex-Meta scientists develop AI model that creates proteins 'not found in nature'The ESM3 model can 'write' new proteins from scratch, opening up new possibilities for synthetic biology.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Magic mushrooms temporarily 'dissolve' brain network responsible for sense of selfPsilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, reduces the synchronicity within a brain network responsible for reflection and the sense of self.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Earth's plate tectonics fired up hundreds of millions of years earlier than we thought, ancient crystals revealNew research hints that plate tectonics began earlier than 4 billion years ago — not long after Earth had formed.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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LA may be spared 'horrifying' fate of the 'Big One' from San Andreas, simulation suggestsA new simulation of the shaking from a magnitude 7.8 south San Andreas earthquake suggests that Los Angeles might avoid a worst-case scenario.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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All El Niños will be extreme if climate change isn't slowed, study suggestsIn a warmer world, every El Niño could look like today's most extreme events.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Near-indestructible moss can survive gamma rays and liquid nitrogenThis little moss withstands deadly blasts of radiation, extreme cold and dehydration — and could probably survive on Mars.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Predator or prey? This 'switch' in the brain toggles when you're hunting or being huntedThe hypothalamus, a brain region that helps control our hormones and sleep cycles, is also responsible for our ability to switch between predator- and prey-like behavior.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Boiling rocks from Earth's crust tore an ocean into Mongolia 410 million years agoAn ocean that opened up in what is now Mongolia 410 million years ago was created by a hot upwelling of rock known as a mantle plume.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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50 interesting facts about EarthReference We've collected some of the most interesting and amazing facts about Earth
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
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14 of the deadliest natural disasters in historyReference The world's deadliest natural disasters span more than 2,500 years of human history and include earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones.
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
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New RSV shots tied to rare nervous system disorder — should you worry?There's been some reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults who got the vaccines. But health officials still recommend that this population get the shots, in consultation with their doctors.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Enormous deposit of rare earth elements discovered in heart of ancient Norwegian volcanoThe Fen Carbonatite Complex may be Europe's key to a secure rare-earth-element supply chain following the discovery of a huge deposit at the site.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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'The difference between alarming and catastrophic': Cascadia megafault has 1 especially deadly section, new map revealsThe Cascadia subduction zone is more complex than researchers previously knew. The new finding could help scientists better understand the risk from future earthquakes.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Rare-earth elements could be hidden inside coal minesRare earth elements are necessary for modern technology, including green energy, but they only come from a few sources around the globe. New research has discovered them hiding in coal mines in the U.S.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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'Increased evidence that we should be alert': H5N1 bird flu is adapting to mammals in 'new ways'New research in marine mammals suggests the virus is increasingly adapting to mammalian hosts.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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STEVE — the bizarre purple ribbon in the sky — has a 'secret twin' that appears only before dawn, study findsAn atmospheric phenomenon known as STEVE has a secret twin that appears before the break of dawn and flows in the opposite direction, new research finds.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Newfound autoimmune syndrome tied to COVID-19 can trigger deadly lung scarringA surge in cases of a rare autoimmune disease during COVID-19 waves in England led to the discovery of a new syndrome.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Odd earthquake swarm in Central Europe hints at magma bubbling below the surfaceAn odd earthquake swarm has struck the region between the Czech Republic and Germany, far from any tectonic plate boundary.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Weird blobs lurking near Earth's core may have been dragged from the surfaceA new study of seismic data from Antarctica finds that the mantle may be stranger and more variable than previously believed, with pieces of ancient crust that have been dragged down by tectonic forces.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Collapse of Earth's magnetic field may have fueled evolution of life 600 million years agoThe planet's magnetic field may have collapsed around 600 million years ago, enabling a major oxygenation event and perhaps supercharging evolution.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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30,000 years of history reveals that hard times boost human societies' resilienceHuman societies that experience downturns do a better job of recovering from later disasters, new research finds.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Epic NASA video takes you to the heart of a black hole — and destroys you in secondsWhat would it be like to fall past the event horizon of a black hole? A new NASA simulation provides a peek into the bizarre physics of spaghettification.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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'Frankenstein' mice with brain cells from rats raised in the labIn recent experiments, rat brain cells filled in for lost neurons in mouse brains, raising new possibilities for growing donor tissues across species.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photosEvery spring, creepy black 'spiders' sprout up on Mars as buried carbon dioxide ice releases dusty geysers of gas. New ESA images show the phenomenon has begun in the strange Inca City formation.
By Stephanie Pappas Published

