
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

Mysterious 'ice balls' in space baffle astronomers
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers have discovered two strange objects that could be young stars — except they're completely surrounded by ice.

Potentially deadly 'chirping waves' detected in baffling location near Earth, and scientists are stumped
By Ben Turner published
Chorus waves are mysterious, chirping signals produced by spiraling plasma inside our planet's magnetic field. But a new detection suggests scientists may understand less about them than first thought.

'Our model of cosmology might be broken': New study reveals the universe is expanding too fast for physics to explain
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers have been confounded by recent evidence that the universe expanded at different rates throughout its life. New findings risk turning the tension into a crisis, scientists say.

'Spooky' quantum entanglement discovered inside individual protons for 1st time ever
By Ben Turner published
Physicists have long-suspected that the building blocks of protons experienced quantum entanglement. Now, researchers have the first direct evidence — after using a trick to infer subatomic particles' entropy.

Schrödinger's Cat breakthrough could usher in the 'Holy Grail' of quantum computing, making them error-proof
By Ben Turner published
Errors in quantum computers are an obstacle for their widespread use. But a team of scientists say that, by using an antimony atom and the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment, they could have found a way to stop them.

China plans to build enormous solar array in space — and it could collect more energy in a year than 'all the oil on Earth'
By Ben Turner published
China has announced plans to build a giant solar power space station, which will be lifted into orbit piece by piece using the nation's brand-new heavy lift rockets.

2024 was the hottest year on record, and the 1st to breach the 1.5 C global warming limit, data reveals
By Ben Turner published
Scientists have warned that the Paris Agreement to limit global warming will likely be breached as data reveals 2024 was the hottest year in human history.

New NASA robot with X-ray vision will watch Earth 'breathing' from the moon
By Ben Turner published
NASA's LEXI instrument is set to land on the moon's surface sometime this month. Using X-ray sensors, the device will watch Earth's atmosphere "breathing out and breathing in" to uncover key space weather mysteries.

NASA and Japan launch world's 1st wooden satellite into orbit. Here's why it could help solve a huge problem for our planet.
By Ben Turner last updated
NASA and Japan's space agency (JAXA) have officially launched the world's first wooden satellite into Earth orbit. The magnolia wood LignoSat is an attempt to make space junk biodegradable, potentially solving the growing problem of orbital debris.

10 amazing technology developments in 2024
By Ben Turner published
From strange drone-fueled UFO sightings to supersonic maglev trains, technology has had a busy year. Here are our top 10 tech stories of 2024.

10 mind-blowing black hole discoveries from 2024
By Ben Turner published
From missing links, to primordial beginnings, to extremely powerful plasma jets that could be shaping our universe in mysterious ways, here are the top 10 black hole discoveries that blew our minds this year.

'There's no real competitor': Theoretical physicist Marika Taylor on how black holes could help us to find a theory of everything
By Ben Turner published
String theory remains our best candidate for a theory of everything, but where can it be tested? By studying black holes, says Marika Taylor.

Our sun may be overdue for a 'superflare' stronger than billions of atomic bombs, new research warns
By Ben Turner published
Observations made using a new method have revealed that sun-like stars produce cataclysmic superflares once every hundred years. Could our sun create one soon?

James Webb telescope confirms we have no idea why the universe is growing the way it is
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers can't agree how fast our cosmos is expanding. A new James Webb Space Telescope study has made the crisis even worse.

'An existential threat affecting billions': Three-quarters of Earth's land became permanently drier in last 3 decades
By Ben Turner published
Climate change is causing unprecedented drying across the Earth — and five billion people could be affected by 2100, a new UN report has warned.

NASA delays historic Artemis missions — yet again
By Ben Turner published
The next stages of NASA's moon program will be delayed due to technical issues, but officials claim they will still launch in time to beat China to the lunar surface.

Miniature black holes could be hollowing out planets and zipping through our bodies, new study claims
By Ben Turner published
Some physicists say the lingering questions about our universe could be solved by hypothetical objects called primordial black holes. New research claims the evidence of their existence could be right here on Earth.

Scientists discover revolutionary method that makes fuel from water and sunlight — but it's not finished yet
By Ben Turner published
Scientists in Japan have demonstrated a new method to create hydrogen fuel without emitting greenhouse gases. But key steps to improve its efficiency remain for it to be commercially viable.

'Ominous milestone for the planet': Arctic Ocean's 1st ice-free day could be just 3 years away, alarming study finds
By Ben Turner published
The Arctic's ice cover could dip below a crucial threshold as soon as 2027, and will do so inevitably in the next 20 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue, scientists warn.

James Webb Space Telescope smashes its own record to find the earliest galaxies that ever existed
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted five galaxy candidates dating to just 200 million years after the Big Bang, making them the earliest ever detected. And there could be many more.

'It's hard not to believe he saw something': Historian Greg Eghigian on how UFOs took over the world
By Ben Turner published
What do UFO sightings tell us about ourselves? And will they ever be explained? Historian Greg Eghigian tells us how he's trying to find out.

Moon landing quiz: How quickly can you name all 12 Apollo astronauts that walked on the moon?
By Ben Turner published
Quiz Just 12 people — all American men — have walked on the moon. Can you name all of them in six minutes?

Dramatic NASA images reveal lava coursing near Iceland's Blue Lagoon
By Ben Turner published
A lava stream from a volcanic eruption in West Iceland is brighter than the lights of the city's nearby capital, new infrared images show.
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