
Senior physics writer Emily Conover joined Science News in 2016. She has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago, where she studied the weird ways of neutrinos, tiny elementary particles that can zip straight through the Earth. She got her first taste of science writing as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She has previously written for Science Magazine and the American Physical Society. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award, and a winner of the Acoustical Society of America’s Science Communication Award.

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All Stories by Emily Conover
- Particle Physics
Physicists have confirmed a new mismatch between matter and antimatter
Charge-parity violation is thought to explain why there’s more matter than antimatter in the universe. Scientists just spotted it in a new place.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists are mostly unconvinced by Microsoft’s new topological quantum chip
Majorana qubits could be error resistant. But after a contentious talk at the Global Physics Summit, scientists aren’t convinced Microsoft has them.
- Physics
Calls to restart nuclear weapons tests stir dismay and debate among scientists
Many scientists say “subcritical” experiments and computer simulations make nuclear weapons testing unnecessary.
- Cosmology
A map of 14 million galaxies and quasars deepens a dark energy mystery
The DESI experiment shocked cosmologists with a hint that dark energy varies over time. Now, with more data, the conclusions hold up.
- Physics
The sound of clapping, explained by physics
The “Helmholtz resonator” concept explains the frequencies of sound produced by clapping the hands together in different configurations.
- Physics
Squishy materials reveal new physics of static electricity
The charge transferred when identical objects touch depends on their history, scientists find.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum mechanics was born 100 years ago. Physicists are celebrating
Quantum physics underlies technologies from the laser to the smartphone. The International Year of Quantum marks a century of scientific developments.
- Particle Physics
A tiny neutrino detector scored big at a nuclear reactor
A compact method of detecting neutrinos provides new tests of physics theories and could lead to new reactor-monitoring methods.
- Science & Society
What nuclear weapons experts will watch for under Trump
As Trump takes office, issues of arms control, the U.S. arsenal and weapons testing will be on the radar for many nuclear weapons researchers.
- Physics
Hula-hooping robots reveal the physics behind keeping rings aloft
The gyrations of hoop-slinging robots reveal that hourglass-shaped objects are best at keeping a hoop in the air.
- Particle Physics
Cosmic rays could help reveal how tornadoes form
Subatomic particles called muons could measure pressure changes in supercell thunderstorms and the twisters they kick up.
- Particle Physics
A major new neutrino experiment is nearing completion
The JUNO experiment, which will study the ways of the electrically neutral subatomic particles, will be the largest of its kind.