
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

Fool's Gold is driving a new accelerating climate feedback loop in Canada
By Ben Turner published
A hut sits at an altidue of 1,800 meters near the Mackenzie Mountains in Yukon, Canada.

Boeing-made satellite shatters in orbit, and nobody knows why
By Ben Turner published
Intelsat 39 being launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in 2019.

Euclid telescope reveals 1st section of largest-ever 3D map of the universe — and there's still 99% to go
By Ben Turner published
The first piece of the Euclid space telescope's map of the universe is crammed with 14 million galaxies and 100 million sources of light. The mapping project is now 1% done.

Largest known prime number, spanning 41 million digits, discovered by amateur mathematician using free software
By Ben Turner published
A draw housing six Sapphire Technology AMD graphics processing units (GPUs).

'Precipitation, the source of all fresh water, can no longer be relied upon': Global water cycle pushed out of balance 'for 1st time in human history'
By Ben Turner published
Residents of Snjay Camp in New Delhi fill plastic containers with water from a tanker in June 2026. Severe heatwaves mean that some areas of India's capital experience water shortages in the summer.

James Webb telescope discovers 'inside out galaxy' near the dawn of time
By Ben Turner published
A bright spiral galaxy appears on a background of thousands of other distant galaxies

32 physics experiments that changed the world
By Ben Turner published
From the discovery of gravity to the first mission to defend Earth from an asteroid, here are the most important physics experiments that changed the world.

British explorer Sandy Irvine's foot discovered 100 years after he vanished on Everest
By Ben Turner published
The boot containing a sock bearing Irvine's name and the remains of a foot.

Toothbrushes and showerheads are teeming with viruses unknown to science, study shows
By Ben Turner published
Scientists identified more than 600 viruses in samples taken from bathrooms in the United States. The viruses infect bacteria — not people — and scientists say they may provide more benefits than causes for concern.

Hurricane Milton is tied for the fastest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record. It could become the new normal.
By Ben Turner published
Hurricane Milton captured by NASA's GOES-East satellite as it made landfall on Florida's west coast.

'It will be comparable with the industrial revolution': Two legendary AI scientists win Nobel Prize in physics for work on neural networks
By Ben Turner published
The researchers developed algorithms and neural networks that set the stage for today's AI technologies

Hurricane Milton: Jaw-dropping images taken from space show the storm rapidly intensifying as it approaches Florida
By Ben Turner published
An image of Hurricane Milton moving towards Florida taken with the GOES satellite at 22:30 UTC on 10/07/24.

'This is the most impactful storm we have faced': 'Major' storm Hurricane Milton to make landfall as Florida reels from Helene
By Ben Turner published
State officials have warned Florida residents to prepare for "largest evacuation that we have seen" since 2017's Hurricane Irma.

James Webb Space Telescope is 'science and magic rolled together,' says iconic astronomer Maggie Aderin-Pocock
By Ben Turner published
Maggie Aderin-Pocock tells us about the power of the James Webb Space Telescope and how she inspires disadvantaged students to enter STEM.

James Webb telescope watches ancient supernova replay 3 times — and confirms something is seriously wrong in our understanding of the universe
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has zoomed in on an ancient supernova, revealing fresh evidence that a crisis in cosmology called the Hubble tension isn't going anywhere soon.

Humanity faces a 'catastrophic' future if we don’t regulate AI, 'Godfather of AI' Yoshua Bengio says
By Ben Turner published
Yoshua Bengio played a crucial role in the development of the machine-learning systems we see today. Now, he says that they could pose an existential risk to humanity.

Black hole 'blowtorch' is causing nearby stars to explode, Hubble telescope reveals
By Ben Turner published
Star explosions called novas are happening twice as often near a gargantuan black hole jet as they are in the rest of the galaxy, and astronomers aren't sure why.

'People should not be there': 'Unsurvivable' 20-foot storm surge predicted as ferocious Hurricane Helene heads to Florida
By Ben Turner last updated
Hurricane Helene has been intensifying with the help of unprecedentedly warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and is now barreling toward Florida.

James Webb telescope spots rare 'missing link' galaxy at the dawn of time
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted a rare galaxy at the dawn of time that may be a "missing link" between the oldest generation of stars and the ones we see near Earth.

Astronomers spot a possible 'future Earth' — 8 billion years into its future
By Ben Turner published
The rocky planet, roughly twice Earth's size, has offered astronomers a glimpse of one of Earth’s possible futures — if it doesn’t get engulfed by our expanding sun.

'We have changed the view of our galaxy forever': Astronomers capture most detailed ever infrared map of the Milky Way
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have released the largest infrared map of the Milky Way ever. The enormous dataset contains millions of new objects, and the researchers expect to scour it for discoveries for years to come.

Nuking an asteroid could save Earth from destruction, researchers show in 1st-of-its-kind X-ray experiment
By Ben Turner published
A powerful burst of X-rays from a nuclear explosion could be used to stop Armageddon just in the nick of time, a new experiment suggests.

Mysterious 'horseman' from lead coffin unearthed in Notre Dame Cathedral finally identified
By Ben Turner published
The centuries-old remains at Notre Dame have been identified as Joachim du Bellay, a French Renaissance poet who died at age 37.
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