Tom Siegfried

Tom Siegfried

Contributing Correspondent

Tom Siegfried is a contributing correspondent. He was editor in chief of Science News from 2007 to 2012, and he was the managing editor from 2014 to 2017. He is the author of the blog Context. In addition to Science News, his work has appeared in Science, Nature, Astronomy, New Scientist and Smithsonian. Previously he was the science editor of The Dallas Morning News. He is the author of four books: The Bit and the Pendulum (Wiley, 2000); Strange Matters (National Academy of Sciences’ Joseph Henry Press, 2002);  A Beautiful Math (2006, Joseph Henry Press); and The Number of the Heavens (Harvard University Press, 2019). Tom was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and grew up in nearby Avon. He earned an undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University with majors in journalism, chemistry and history, and has a master of arts with a major in journalism and a minor in physics from the University of Texas at Austin. His awards include the American Geophysical Union's Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism, the Science-in Society award from the National Association of Science Writers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science-Westinghouse Award, the American Chemical Society’s James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public, and the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award.

All Stories by Tom Siegfried

  1. Astronomy

    Eclipses show wrong physics can give right results

    Math for making astronomical predictions doesn’t necessarily reflect physical reality.

  2. Quantum Physics

    Modern-day Alice trades looking glass for wormhole to explore quantum wonderland

    A new paper shows how the possibility of wormholes linking quantum-entangled black holes could be tested in the laboratory.

  3. Neuroscience

    There’s a long way to go in understanding the brain

    Neuroscientists offer multiple “perspectives” on how to plug gaps in current knowledge of the brain’s inner workings.

  4. Science & Society

    This history book offers excellent images but skimps on modern science

    For an accessible account of mostly pre-20th century science, check out The Oxford Illustrated History of Science.

  5. Quantum Physics

    A quarter century ago, the qubit was born

    The invention of the qubit a quarter century ago enabled the quantum information revolution.

  6. Science & Society

    Top 10 discoveries about waves

    Another gravitational wave detection reaffirms the importance of waves for a vast spectrum of physical processes and technologies.

  7. Science & Society

    The first Cassini to explore Saturn was a person

    Cassini, the spacecraft about to dive into Saturn, was named for the astronomical pioneer who first perceived the gap between the planet’s famous rings.

  8. Science & Society

    Top 10 science anniversaries of 2017

    2017 offers an abundance of scientific anniversaries to celebrate, from pulsars and pulsar planets to Einstein’s laser, Einstein’s cosmos and the laws of robotics.

  9. Science & Society

    Einstein’s latest anniversary marks the birth of modern cosmology

    A century ago, Einstein gave birth to modern cosmology by using his general theory of relativity to describe the universe.

  10. Science & Society

    Physics greats of the 20th century mixed science and public service

    New biographies highlight Enrico Fermi’s and Richard Garwin’s contributions to science and society.

  11. Astronomy

    In 20th century, astronomers opened their minds to gazillions of galaxies

    Telescopes in the U.S. West opened astronomers’ eyes to a vast, expanding universe containing countless galaxies.

  12. Physics

    ‘Time Travel’ tours a fascinating fiction

    James Gleick’s entertaining book Time Travel focuses more on fantasy than real science.