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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Earth's outer core may hold a hidden 'doughnut'A newly discovered doughnut shape in Earth's outer core may reveal elements that help drive the formation of the planet's magnetic field.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
planet-earth -
21 of the best conspiracy theoriesConspiracy theories that have taken hold range from a faked moon landing to Barack Obama's birthplace to chemtrails.
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
conspiracies-paranormal -
Ancient relative of 'living fossil' fish reveals that geological activity supercharges evolutionThe ancient coelacanth, which has existed for some 419 million years, never stopped evolving despite its reputation as a "living fossil." A new discovery reveals that it evolved faster when plate tectonics were most active.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
evolution -
'Mega' El Niño may have fueled Earth's biggest mass extinctionVolcanoes spewing carbon dioxide 250 million years ago heated the climate so much that extreme El Niño events became the norm, pushing most life on Earth past its limits.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
planet-earth -
The oldest evidence of Earth's atmosphere may be hiding in rocks on the moonThe moon hasn't had a magnetic field for 4.36 billion years. That means it could hold fragments of the ancient Earth.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
the-moon -
Scientists invent nanorobots that can repair brain aneurysmsTiny robots much smaller than blood cells could deliver clot-forming drugs where they're needed most, a study in rabbits suggests. The tech has yet to be tested in humans.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
health -
MIT scientists build hair-size batteries that can power cell-sized robotsAn internal power source could enable the development of tiny robots for applications like drug delivery and remote sensing.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
technology -
Weird mystery waves that baffle scientists may be 'everywhere' inside Earth's mantleStructures that scatter seismic waves deep in Earth's mantle seem to be everywhere researchers look.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
geology -
10 of the deadliest superbugs that scientists are worried aboutThese bacteria have evolved the ability to resist treatment with antibiotics, leaving doctors scrambling to help patients who are infected.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
bacterial-fungal -
Scientists drill longest-ever piece of Earth's mantle from underwater mountain near 'Lost City'Scientists just pulled the longest hunk of Earth's mantle from beneath the ocean.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
geology -
Sapphires form inside the fiery hearts of volcanoes, not deep in the mantle like we thoughtA new study of sapphires found in volcanic fields in Germany reveals that these beautiful blue stones form where magma and rocks from Earth's crust mix.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
geology -
'Simone is a very, very rare bird': Experts discuss the science behind Simone Biles' gymnastic prowessEven among the world's most elite gymnasts, American Simone Biles, now competing in her third Olympic Games, is a standout.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
exercise -
7 scary diseases you can get from the waterMany deadly infections are transmitted via water, including cholera, typhoid and brain-eating amoebas.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
health -
'Brain-eating' amoebas kill nearly 100% of victims. Could new treatments change that?Feature Doctors are pulling out new techniques and drugs in an effort to cure devastating brain infections.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
Feature -
'Failed' microcontinent found hiding beneath Greenland and CanadaThe Davis Strait, west of Greenland, holds a long-lost chunk of an almost-continent that didn't quite form about 58 million years ago.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
planet-earth -
Gaia spacecraft almost doomed by back-to-back meteor strike and solar storm — but ESA says they've found a solutionThe European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft is back to routine operations studying the Milky Way after a meteor strike punctured its protective shield, allowing charged solar particles to stream through.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
space-exploration -
'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
artificial-intelligence -
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
neuroscience -
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
geology -
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
earthquakes -
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
planet-earth -
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
plants -
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
neuroscience -
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
geology

