
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

'The early universe is nothing like we expected': James Webb telescope reveals 'new understanding' of how galaxies formed at cosmic dawn
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have observed five extremely dense proto-globular clusters along a hair-thin arc of glittering stars. The discovery could help them understand how the earliest galaxies formed.

Astronauts stranded in space due to multiple issues with Boeing's Starliner — and the window for a return flight is closing
By Ben Turner published
NASA and Boeing engineers are troubleshooting various faults in the Starliner spacecraft. But with only 45 days of docking time available, the window for return is closing.

AI models could devour all of the internet’s written knowledge by 2026
By Ben Turner published
A new estimate suggests that AI could use up all of the internet’s text data within the next few years. The next recourse could be private information, a new study warns.

'Reverse Turing test' asks AI agents to spot a human imposter — you'll never guess how they figure it out
By Ben Turner published
Four AI models uncovered a human interloper in a startling viral video. But what can it teach us about intelligence?

The 2024 summer solstice will be the earliest for 228 years. Here's why.
By Ben Turner published
The time of the annual summer solstice will be the earliest it's been for centuries and will continue to creep forward every leap year until 2100. But why?

Supermassive black hole roars to life before astronomers' eyes in world-1st observations
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers may be watching a supermassive black hole "waking up" from a long slumber for the first time ever. The researchers think the black hole may have gotten its hands on a glut of new material to devour, causing an uptick in brightness.

Astronomers discover the 1st-ever merging galaxy cores at cosmic dawn
By Ben Turner published
Two superluminous quasars, or active black holes at the centers of large galaxies, were found just 900 million years after the Big Bang — the earliest detection of a pair of merging quasars ever seen.

Gulf Stream's fate to be decided by climate 'tug-of-war'
By Ben Turner published
New research suggests that runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet could prevent icebergs from disrupting key ocean currents. But some scientists have cautioned that other factors may be at play.

James Webb telescope discovers most distant supernova ever seen
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a supernova dating to just 1.8 billion years after the Big Bang, as well as 80 others in the early universe. The ancient explosions could help scientists figure out the mysteries of how the cosmos evolved.

'At least 150,000 tons' of water frost discovered atop Mars' tallest volcanoes
By Ben Turner published
Once thought impossible to exist, water frost found atop Mars' Tharsis region volcanoes could come in handy for future human exploration missions, new research suggests.

James Webb telescope reveals 'cataclysmic' asteroid collision in nearby star system
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has caught a snapshot of two massive asteroids colliding in a nearby star system — and it could teach us about how common solar systems like our own are.

'Physics itself disappears': How theoretical physicist Thomas Hertog helped Stephen Hawking produce his final, most radical theory of everything
By Ben Turner published
Thomas Hertog tells us how he collaborated with Stephen Hawking on his final theorem — a Darwinian revolution in physics that explains the origin of time.

James Webb telescope finds carbon at the dawn of the universe, challenging our understanding of when life could have emerged
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has found carbon in a galaxy just 350 million years after the Big Bang. That could mean life began much earlier too, a new study argues.

2 new helium leaks discovered on Boeing's Starliner — forcing NASA astronauts to skip sleep to fix them
By Ben Turner published
Two helium leaks appeared on the spacecraft en route to the International Space Station, in addition to a leak engineers knew about prior to launch. The crew are not thought to be in any danger.

Stunning 'parade of planets' image shows 6 worlds aligned over Earth
By Ben Turner published
A stunning photo of the recent "parade of planets" shows Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in alignment over Earth. It was captured from the U.K. on June 1.

Cutting pollution from the shipping industry accidentally increased global warming, study suggests
By Ben Turner published
A reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions may have caused "80% of the measured increase in planetary heat uptake since 2020."

A 'parade of planets' is coming on June 3. Here's what you can actually expect to see.
By Ben Turner last updated
Six worlds will align for a "parade of planets" on June 3, although only a few of them will be visible to the naked eye. Here's what you need to know about the rare alignment.

GPT-4 didn't ace the bar exam after all, MIT research suggests — it didn't even break the 70th percentile
By Ben Turner published
Last year, claims that OpenAI's GPT-4 model beat 90% of trainee lawyers on the bar exam generated a flurry of media hype. But these claims were likely overstated, a new study suggests.

Scientists may have finally solved the problem of the universe’s 'missing' black holes
By Ben Turner published
Primordial black holes are one of the strongest candidates for the universe's missing dark matter. But a new theory suggests that not enough of the miniature black holes formed for this to be the case.

Google's AI tells users to add glue to their pizza, eat rocks and make chlorine gas
By Ben Turner published
Social media has been flooded with bizarre and dangerous advice that appears to have been made by Google's new AI overview feature. The company continues to defend the 'high quality' search tool.

Crows can count out loud, startling study reveals
By Ben Turner published
This is the first time an animal other than humans has been seen performing the feat of vocal numeracy.

Euclid space telescope: ESA's groundbreaking mission to study dark matter and dark energy
By Ben Turner last updated
The Euclid space telescope uses its incredibly wide field of view to hunt for two of the universe's most mysterious components: dark matter and dark energy. The six-year mission could change cosmology forever.

This year's hurricane season could see 25 named storms, NOAA says in record-breaking forecast
By Ben Turner published
Unusually high temperatures combined with the abatement of the El Niño could lead to more major hurricanes this year.

Scientists just discovered an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania
By Ben Turner published
The new source of lithium, which could meet up to 40% of U.S. demand, was discovered in fracking wastewater.

Euclid space telescope reveals more than 300,000 new objects in 1st 24 hours of observations (photos)
By Ben Turner published
The Euclid space telescope has released five mesmerizing new photos of our universe, kicking off a six-year campaign to unveil the secrets of dark matter, dark energy and other cosmological mysteries.
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