Stories by Katie McCormick

Katie McCormick is a science writer based in Seattle. Her work has appeared in Aeon, Discover and Scientific American, and she frequently contributes video scripts to PBS's Space Time. She has a Ph.D. in quantum physics.

This visualization shows the sea surface currents and temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Quantum PhysicsAugust 24, 2023

Quantum Physics Can Explain Earth’s Weather

By treating Earth as a topological insulator—a state of quantum matter—physicists found a powerful explanation for the twisting movements of the planet’s air and seas

Katie McCormick, Quanta Magazine

Animation of a spinning neutron star in space.

AstrophysicsJuly 18, 2023

Ultracold Gases Can Probe Neutron Star Guts

Earth-based analogs are opening new frontiers in studies of the superdense interiors of neutron stars

Katie McCormick, Knowable Magazine