
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

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.

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

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.

Scientists spot water molecules flipping before they split, and it could help them produce cheaper hydrogen fuel
By Ben Turner published
A photograph of a water droplet.

Watch: SpaceX Starship explodes mid-flight for a 2nd time this year, raining fiery debris over Florida
By Ben Turner published
A photo of starship launching in the distance with massive plume of smoke.

'Cosmic Horseshoe' may contain black hole the size of 36 billion suns — one of the largest ever detected
By Ben Turner published
The "Cosmic Horseshoe" is an Einstein ring, a system made up of a foreground galaxy whose mass is so great, it warps the light from a galaxy behind it. Now, astronomers know where it gets this mass from.

'Jetsons' robot finally arrives: Sweater-wearing Neo Gamma android helps with household chores
By Ben Turner published
Built by the Norwegian startup 1X, the Neo Gamma humanoid robot is designed to complete mundane household tasks.

'Planet parade' photo captures 7 planets in a line over Earth — possibly for the 1st time ever
By Ben Turner published
A stunning photo of a "parade of planets", shows Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, and Mercury in alignment from Earth. The image could be the first of its kind.

Brewing tea can remove lead and other heavy metals from water, new study finds
By Ben Turner published
Tea leaves can remove heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium from water. And steeping time has the biggest impact.

Did a supernova 6 million years ago kickstart evolution in Africa? New study offers a clue
By Ben Turner published
A curious connection between an ancient supernova and virus diversification in one of Earth's biggest lakes means that crazy cosmic events may have had more influence on our planet than we thought.
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