
Ben Turner
Ben Turner is a U.K. based staff writer at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, among other topics like tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. When he's not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing the guitar and embarrassing himself with chess.
Latest articles by Ben Turner

Elusive neutrinos' mass just got halved — and it could mean physicists are close to solving a major cosmic mystery
By Ben Turner published
Physicists have set a new upper limit on the mass of neutrinos. And the finding could poke a big hole in the Standard Model of particle physics.

Astronomers are shocked to find our galaxy's nearest neighbor is being torn to shreds
By Ben Turner published
An analysis of star movements from the Gaia spacecraft reveals that the Small Magellanic Cloud — a satellite galaxy bound to the Milky Way — is being torn apart by its larger neighbor.

Physicists create hottest Schrödinger's cat ever in quantum breakthrough
By Ben Turner published
Physicists have replicated the famous Schrödinger's cat experiment at hotter temperatures than ever before. The breakthrough is a small but significant step toward quantum computers that can work at normal temperatures.

Quantum computing breakthrough could make 'noise' — forces that disrupt calculations — a thing of the past
By Ben Turner published
Useful quantum networks are hobbled by the problem of decoherence from environmental "noise." But a new breakthrough could change that.

Using AI reduces your critical thinking skills, Microsoft study warns
By Ben Turner published
A survey of workers who use AI has revealed the tools could be slowly impairing our critical thinking skills.

NASA's SPHEREx telescope 'opens its eyes on the universe', taking stunning debut image of 100,000 galaxies and stars
By Ben Turner published
SPHEREx's first images — containing roughly 100,000 points of light stars, galaxies and nebulae — have confirmed that the telescope is working according to its design.

'We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem': Hidden world of life discovered beneath Antarctic iceberg
By Ben Turner published
The newfound ecosystem is filled with sea crabs, octopuses and gigantic sponges, suggesting it may have been thriving for centuries.

World's largest atom smasher makes 1st-of-its-kind 'beauty' particle discovery that could unlock new physics
By Ben Turner published
Why matter dominates over antimatter in our universe has long been a major cosmic mystery to physicists. A new finding by the world's largest particle collider has revealed a clue.

Watch eerie video of humanoid robot 'army' marching naturally, thanks to a major AI upgrade
By Ben Turner published
Figure 02's human-like gait is the product of the company's simulated reinforcement learning system, and is just the beginning of its plans to make its robots perform physical tasks more naturally.

Current AI models a 'dead end' for human-level intelligence, scientists agree
By Ben Turner published
In a new survey, 76% of scientists said that scaling large language models was "unlikely" or "very unlikely" to achieve AGI.

China's superfast charging technology is twice as fast as Tesla's — fully recharging EVs in just 6 minutes
By Ben Turner published
BYD's e-platform charges twice as fast as Tesla's superchargers, meaning its cars can travel up to 250 miles on a five-minute charge

Longest molecules ever found on Mars may be remnants of building blocks of life
By Jess Thomson, Ben Turner published
NASA's Curiosity Rover has discovered long carbon chains on Mars. On Earth, molecules like these are overwhelmingly produced by biological processes.

Scientists break down cheap plastic using the air — and turn it into something far more valuable
By Ben Turner published
Scientists developed a new method for breaking down one of the most common plastics to a byproduct that can be upcycled into more valuable materials.

'I was astonished': Ancient galaxy discovered by James Webb telescope contains the oldest oxygen scientists have ever seen
By Ben Turner published
Scientists have made the record-breaking detection of oxygen in an ancient galaxy that existed just 300 million years after the Big Bang. The detection is prompting astronomers to rethink how quickly stars and galaxies formed in the young universe.

'The universe has thrown us a curveball': Largest-ever map of space reveals we might have gotten dark energy totally wrong
By Ben Turner published
Findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggest that dark energy could be evolving over time. If they're right, cosmology will need a new model.

'Welcome home!': NASA astronauts who spent 9 months in orbit finally back on Earth
By Ben Turner published
After nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have splash-landed off the coast of Florida.

When will the 'stranded' NASA astronauts return to Earth?
By Ben Turner published
After spending more than nine months in space, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally coming home. NASA is targeting a Tuesday evening (March 18) splashdown for the returning astronauts, if weather conditions remain favorable.

Punishing AI doesn't stop it from lying and cheating — it just makes it hide better, study shows
By Ben Turner published
Scientists at OpenAI have attempted to stop a frontier AI model from cheating and lying by punishing it. But this just taught it to scheme more privately.

Google's AI 'co-scientist' cracked 10-year superbug problem in just 2 days
By Ben Turner published
Scientists took 10 years to figure out how one type of superbug gains its ability to infect diverse bacterial species. When prompted, Google's new AI "co-scientist" gave them the answer in two days.

Finally! NASA and SpaceX launch Crew-10 mission to bring 'stranded' ISS astronauts back to Earth
By Ben Turner published
Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams have spent nine months aboard the International Space Station following the failure of Boeing’s Starliner mission. Their rescue rocket has finally been launched.

Saturn gains 128 new moons, giving it more than the rest of the solar system combined
By Ben Turner published
Faint signatures detected by the Canada France Hawaii Telescope have revealed 128 new moons around Saturn, making it the indisputable frontrunner for having the most moons in our solar system.

Liftoff! NASA launches SPHEREx telescope — an infrared observatory that will help JWST solve the mysteries of the universe
By Ben Turner published
NASA's newly-launched SPHEREx space telescope will offer a complementary 'panoramic' view to the JWST's high resolution infrared snapshots, enabling astronomers to study some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

Nanoparticle breakthrough could bring 'holy grail' of solar power within reach
By Ben Turner published
Digital generated image of solar panel with purple-blue reflection.
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