John Wenz

John is currently science editor for Inverse. He's interested in all matters of space, robots, space robots, and fossils. Prior to his time at Inverse, he was digital producer at Knowable Magazine, associate editor at Astronomy Magazine, a news writer at Popular Mechanics, and a long-time freelancer. He has written one book, "The Lost Planets," published by MIT Press in October 2019. He is based in Oakland, California. He enjoys hiking, lichen hunting, photography, and collecting weird folk art chickens.
Hmm
Blue Origin: The scientific reason rockets look like dicks
John Wenz
Inquiring minds want to know. We answered.
Innovation
The Pentagon UFO Report is out. Here’s what happens next.
John Wenz
Four big mysteries remain, and three groups can solve them.
Goodnight Moon
Here's what would actually happen if we changed the Moon's orbit
John Wenz
A congressman asked and we answered.
Methanol, y'all
Astronomers spot one of life's building blocks in a weird part of the galaxy
John Wenz
They’ve only gone and upended a widely held scientific idea.
out there
Why 3 of the best cases for UFOs might not be in the Pentagon report
John Wenz
Inverse sits down with the science director of the Center for UFO Studies to learn which sightings have the best evidence behind them.
Galactic honeycomb
Incredible images show a monumental step for NASA's massive new telescope
John Wenz
The James Webb Space Telescope will analyze planets beyond our solar system.
out there
UFO evangelist: Pentagon report is just the "tip of the spear"
John Wenz
Luis Elizondo is a leading voice calling for the Pentagon to release a report on UFOs. Elizondo spoke to Inverse about what might be in the report.
orbital decay
Here are 5 ways to track the uncontrolled Long March 5B rocket re-entry
John Wenz
Chinese rocket Long March 5B is falling to Earth, and no one knows where it will land.
fire in the hole
SpaceX Starship SN15 test flight: Elon Musk just cleared a huge hurdle
John Wenz
SpaceX's newest rocket marked its first successful landing.
Innovation
NASA reveals what’s next for the Mars helicopter Ingenuity
John Wenz
With tech demonstrations in the past, it's time for the craft to move to the future.
spectacular views
Ingenuity photo shows a spectacular new view of Perseverance on Mars
John Wenz
Ingenuity gazes upon its mother, knowing not it will soon die.
Future Earth 2121
The future of Earth is 5 other planets
John Wenz
And one bonus prize.
free bird
Mars helicopter photo shows Ingenuity's most audacious flight yet
John Wenz
The tiny companion to the Perseverance Mars 2020 rover made a second flight over Jezero Crater.
red dawn
Ingenuity first Mars flight: NASA teases date, time, and how to watch
John Wenz
The first controlled flight to take place on another world is getting ready for liftoff.
rock on
SpaceX is ready to give you the skylight of your dad's dreams
John Wenz
The Crew Dragon capsule now comes in a variant with a large window atop — a sight familiar to ISS astronauts and Midwest homeowners alike.
all good things
SpaceX Starship explosion: Elon Musk explains the surprising cause
John Wenz
The bright, silver rocket has yet to complete a successful flight.
incoming!
Seattle fireball: Video reveals SpaceX behind "UFO" burning in sky
John Wenz
A failed Starlink launch gave us quite a fireworks show.
tune in
Listen to these 9 stunning sounds from outer space
John Wenz
By converting light data into sound, scientists can gain beautiful insight into the splendor of the universe.
visitor from another world
Oumuamua update may be bad news for alien truthers
John Wenz
The enigmatic object isn't aliens. But it could be a “messenger” from another world.
toasty
A blazing hot ‘hellworld’ may be lurking in our galaxy
John Wenz
Contact made its host star Vega famous, but don't expect life on this scorching world.