Jon Kelvey

Jon Kelvey is a science writer covering space, aerospace, and biosciences. His work has appeared in publications such as Air & Space Magazine, Earth and Space News, Slate, and Smithsonian in addition to Inverse.

Kelvey studied cognitive neuroscience at UC Berkeley and prior to a career in journalism worked in the California wine industry, in construction as an electrician, and as a motel housekeeper.

Reel Science

Minority Report’s Greatest Prediction Isn’t the One You Think

Sure, the computers are cool, but a city with no traffic? Now there’s a utopia.

By Jon Kelvey
The Inverse Awards

The 8 Most Epic Space Fails of 2023

Space is hard.

By Jon Kelvey
The Inverse Awards

The 12 Best Space Images of 2023

This year yielded a bevy of stunning and sublime images of the Solar System and beyond.

By Jon Kelvey
space

How Oppenheimer Proved Einstein Wrong About Black Holes

In addition to the Manhattan Project, J. Robert Oppenheimer also worked on many other areas of physics.

By Jon Kelvey
Space

Astronomers Find a Strange Two-Faced Zombie Star

The white dwarf, nicknamed Janus, has one side helium, one side hydrogen.

By Jon Kelvey
Space

Wild Astronomical Discovery Confirms Einstein Was Right About Time Itself

Quasars show evidence that time was slower in the early universe.

By Jon Kelvey
Space

Astronomers Caught a Rare Glimpse of an Exoplanet Being Born

The discovery provides further evidence for theories of how planets form.

By Jon Kelvey
Space

New High-Tech Alloy Could Enable Nuclear Space Travel

The new alloy is durable to even extreme heat stress.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Science

Astronomers Use a Novel Technique to Spot a Huge Exoplanet

By teaming direct imaging with an indirect technique, astronomers struck gold.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Science

Astronomers Find Two Powerful Supermassive Black Holes Feasting in a Merging Galaxy

The quasars are shining bright during their dinner.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Anniversaries

50 Years Ago, NASA Sent an Ambitious Mission to Saturn — and To Interstellar Horizons

The Pioneer 11 probe would serve as a metaphorical blueprint for the Voyager missions.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Science

New Study Suggests One Aspect of Space Travel Can Accelerate Aging

The microgravity environment could hasted age-related issues.

By Jon Kelvey
Space History

15 Years Ago, Exoplanet Astronomers Made a Breakthrough in the Hunt for Life

Detecting methane on a distant exoplanet paved the way for the hunt for organic chemistry in the cosmos.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Science

A NASA Craft May Have Captured a Volcanic Event on the Solar System's Most Hellish World

The results are ... explosive.

By Jon Kelvey
Environment

New Study Shows the Global Reach of One Dangerous Pollutant

It highlights that nothing happens in a vacuum.

By Jon Kelvey
Science

What the Dogs of Chernobyl Could Tell Us About Living on Mars

A new study shows the long-term effects of living in an irradiated environment.

By Jon Kelvey
Space Science

Starlink is Already Causing Hubble Headaches — and the Problem Could Get Worse

A new study found that 3-in-50 Hubble shots have a satellite photobombing them — and that number will only go up as more satellites are launched.

By Jon Kelvey
Space

Astronomers May Have Just Solved a Salty Mystery at Jupiter's Most Famous Moon

Europa had features that astronomers couldn't previously quite figure out.

By Jon Kelvey
Climate Crisis

Ecologists Find Unexpected Feedback Loops Could Complicate Fighting Climate Change

They could make it impossible to reverse.

By Jon Kelvey
Earth Science

These Ancient Pseudo-Diamonds Contain Secrets About the Origin of Life

A better understanding of how life was set up to evolve on Earth could provide a more accurate template for searching for signs of existent or past life out in the universe.

By Jon Kelvey