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. Climate

    From electric cars to wildfires, how Trump may affect climate actions

    Trump’s first term, campaign pledges and nominees point to how efforts to address climate change and environmental issues may fare.

  2. Climate

    Climate change has amped up hurricane wind speeds by 29 kph on average

    Every single Atlantic hurricane in 2024 had wind speeds supercharged by warming seas. One even jumped two categories of intensity.

  3. Oceans

    The world’s largest coral was discovered in the South Pacific

    The behemoth coral, discovered in October in the Solomon Islands, is longer than a blue whale and older than the United States.

  4. Environment

    Fire-prone neighborhoods on the fringes of nature are rapidly expanding

    The transition zone where unoccupied wildlands meet developed areas increased globally by about 35 percent from 2000 to 2020.

  5. Tech

    Feather-inspired airplane flaps could boost flight performance

    Rows of flaps inspired by bird wing feathers improve airfoil performance by boosting lift, reducing drag and mitigating stall.

  6. Math

    Two teenagers have once again proved an ancient math rule

    Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson have published 10 trigonometric proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, a feat thought impossible for 2,000 years.

  7. Earth

    What leads rivers to suddenly change course?

    An analysis of satellite data could help predict where rivers will change their course and where their rerouted flows will go.

  8. Climate

    Why Hurricane Helene was so devastating

    The tempest caused record-breaking storm surge on the coast and widespread and deadly flooding and debris flows in the Appalachian Mountains.

  9. Oceans

    A vital ocean current is stable, for now

    The Florida Current, a major contributor to a system of ocean currents that regulate Earth’s climate, has not weakened as much as previously reported.

  10. Physics

    X-rays from nuclear blasts could defend Earth from asteroids

    The X-ray pulses could deflect asteroids up to 4 kilometers wide, a new study suggests.

  11. Environment

    A biogeochemist is tracking the movements of toxic mercury pollution

    Exposing the hidden movements of mercury through the environment can help reduce human exposure.

  12. Earth

    How earthquakes build beefy gold nuggets

    The strain imparted by an earthquake can generate voltages in quartz veins that stimulate the mineralization of gold.