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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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
volcanoes -
'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
coronavirus -
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
earthquakes -
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
geology -
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
geology -
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
human-behavior -
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
neuroscience -
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
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Earth's magnetic field formed before the planet's core, study suggestsThe oldest firm age yet for Earth's magnetic field suggests that it developed before a solid planetary core, 3.7 billion years ago.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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An extra moon may be orbiting Earth — and scientists think they know exactly where it came fromThe near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa, which orbits alongside our planet as a 'minimoon,' may have originated from Giordano Bruno crater on the far side of the moon, new research suggests.
By Stephanie Pappas Last updated
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Scientists may have pinpointed the true origin of the Hope Diamond and other pristine gemstonesResearchers suggest that the famed Golconda diamonds, including the Hope Diamond and Koh-i-noor, may have originated from a volcanic outcrop nearly 200 miles from where they were mined.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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NASA reveals 'glass-smooth lake of cooling lava' on surface of Jupiter's moon IoThe volcanic surface of Jupiter's huge moon Io got a stunning close-up thanks to NASA's Juno mission.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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'Uncharted territory': El Niño to flip to La Niña in what could be the hottest year on recordA quick flip from El Niño to La Niña is coming soon, but what does that mean for the U.S.?
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Purple bacteria could be key to finding extraterrestrial life on exoplanetsOn many exoplanets, the best clue that life is present may be a purple hue. New research into some of Earth's most extreme bacteria explains why.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Pluto's huge white 'heart' has a surprisingly violent origin, new study suggestsTombaugh Regio — the large, pale heart that dominates Pluto's terrain — is made of nitrogen ice that accumulated after a huge, slow-motion impact, new research suggests.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Mass die-off half a billion years ago caused by shifting tectonic plates, ancient rocks revealA large extinction in the midst of the expansion of life during the Cambrian period was caused by the tectonics of a supercontinent, new research argues.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
archaeology

