Nikk Ogasa is a staff writer who focuses on the physical sciences for Science News, based in Tucson, Arizona. He has a master's degree in geology from McGill University, where he studied how ancient earthquakes helped form large gold deposits. He earned another master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His stories have been published in ScienceScientific American, Mongabay and the Mercury News, and he was the summer 2021 science writing intern at Science News.

All Stories by Nikk Ogasa

  1. Space

    How giant mirrors are made for what will be the world’s largest telescope

    The Giant Magellan Telescope is slated to probe the cosmos for Earthlike worlds and atmospheric signatures of potential extraterrestrial life.

  2. Animals

    Pumping cold water into rivers could act as ‘air conditioning’ for fish

    Hundreds of salmon, trout and other fish sought shelter from summer heat in human-made shelters, suggesting a way to help fish adapt to river warming.

  3. Earth

    To form pink diamonds, build and destroy a supercontinent

    The Argyle deposit in Australia formed about 1.3 billion years ago, a study shows, along a rift zone that sundered the supercontinent Nuna.

  4. Paleontology

    This newfound birdlike dinosaur had surprisingly long legs

    Early birdlike dinosaurs are mostly short-limbed and thought to have lived in trees, but Fujianvenator prodigiosus may have run or waded in swamps.

  5. Animals

    Adult corals have been safely frozen and revived for the first time

    Chunks of living corals could be frozen for safekeeping and revived later to restore reef ecosystems that are withering in warming seas.

  6. Climate

    Some leaves in tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis

    Climate change may be forcing some tropical leaves to stop photosynthesis and die. It’s still unclear what effect this will have on entire forests.

  7. Space

    Recoiling black holes could move at nearly one-tenth the speed of light

    Knowing black holes’ speed after being kicked by gravitational waves can reveal how much energy converging black holes can release.

  8. Climate

    July 2023 nailed an unfortunate world record: hottest month ever recorded

    Roughly 6.5 billion people, or 4 out of 5 humans, felt the touch of climate change via hotter temperatures during July.

  9. Climate

    Here’s how much climate change increases the odds of brutally hot summers

    Climate change made 2023’s record-breaking heat waves in the United States, Mexico, China and southern Europe much more likely, new simulations show.

  10. Climate

    What’s causing this summer’s extreme heat waves?

    Climate change and meandering jet streams are fomenting this summer’s extreme waves of heat.

  11. Climate

    Last week was the hottest ever recorded — here’s why we keep smashing records

    Global temperature records are being shattered as El Niño and climate change combine to push the Earth into uncharted territory, researchers say.

  12. Paleontology

    This ancient, Lovecraftian apex predator chased and pierced soft prey

    Half a billion years ago, Anomalocaris canadensis probably used its bizarre headgear to reach out and snag soft prey with its spiky clutches.