Portrait of Dennis Overbye

Dennis Overbye

I report with an eye toward big issues like the birth and death of the universe, the fates of black holes, the fundamental laws of nature, free will and quantum mysteries — how we learn about these things and what it means for our status as ephemeral creatures in a dynamic universe. I am intrigued by the fact that Albert Einstein, who died almost 80 years ago, is increasingly relevant to the quandaries of modern science.

I’ve been doing this for almost 50 years, 25 of them at The Times. I have a physics degree from M.I.T. After a year of graduate school in astronomy, I spent four years as a writer and editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. I have written two books: “Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, the Scientific Search for the Secret of the Universe” (Little, Brown, 1999) and “Einstein in Love, a Scientific Romance” (Viking-Penguin, 2000). In 2014 I was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Like all Times journalists, I am committed to upholding the standards of integrity in our Ethical Journalism Handbook.

I prefer to be contacted by email.

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    Science Goes to the Olympics

    Six Olympic athletes described the delicate mechanics behind their chosen event. Here’s how they do what they do.

    By Emily Anthes, Kenneth Chang, Dennis Overbye, Katrina Miller, Gina Kolata and Franz Lidz

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