Ben Turner is a U.K. based writer and editor at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, 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.
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New NASA robot with X-ray vision will watch Earth 'breathing' from the moonNASA'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.
By Ben Turner Published
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NASA and Japan launch world's 1st wooden satellite into orbit. Here's why it could help solve a huge problem for our planet.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.
By Ben Turner Last updated
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10 amazing technology developments in 2024From strange drone-fueled UFO sightings to supersonic maglev trains, technology has had a busy year. Here are our top 10 tech stories of 2024.
By Ben Turner Published
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10 mind-blowing black hole discoveries from 2024From 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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'There's no real competitor': Theoretical physicist Marika Taylor on how black holes could help us to find a theory of everythingString theory remains our best candidate for a theory of everything, but where can it be tested? By studying black holes, says Marika Taylor.
By Ben Turner Published
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Our sun may be overdue for a 'superflare' stronger than billions of atomic bombs, new research warnsObservations made using a new method have revealed that sun-like stars produce cataclysmic superflares once every hundred years. Could our sun create one soon?
By Ben Turner Published
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James Webb telescope confirms we have no idea why the universe is growing the way it isAstronomers can't agree how fast our cosmos is expanding. A new James Webb Space Telescope study has made the crisis even worse.
By Ben Turner Published
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'An existential threat affecting billions': Three-quarters of Earth's land became permanently drier in last 3 decadesClimate change is causing unprecedented drying across the Earth — and five billion people could be affected by 2100, a new UN report has warned.
By Ben Turner Published
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NASA delays historic Artemis missions — yet againThe 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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Miniature black holes could be hollowing out planets and zipping through our bodies, new study claimsSome 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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Scientists discover revolutionary method that makes fuel from water and sunlight — but it's not finished yetScientists 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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'Ominous milestone for the planet': Arctic Ocean's 1st ice-free day could be just 3 years away, alarming study findsThe 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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James Webb Space Telescope smashes its own record to find the earliest galaxies that ever existedThe 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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'It's hard not to believe he saw something': Historian Greg Eghigian on how UFOs took over the worldWhat 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.
By Ben Turner Published
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Moon landing quiz: How quickly can you name all 12 Apollo astronauts that walked on the moon?Quiz Just 12 people — all American men — have walked on the moon. Can you name all of them in six minutes?
By Ben Turner Published
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Dramatic NASA images reveal lava coursing near Iceland's Blue LagoonA lava stream from a volcanic eruption in West Iceland is brighter than the lights of the city's nearby capital, new infrared images show.
By Ben Turner Published
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Astronauts baffled by 'unexpected odor' leaking from Russian spacecraft docked at ISSRussian cosmonauts aboard the ISS were forced to seal a hatch and don protective equipment after the arrival of a cargo vessel brought with it a bizarre smell.
By Ben Turner Published
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Samples of 'alien' asteroid Ryugu are crawling with life — from EarthScientists have found microorganisms crawling over a sample retrieved from the 200 million-mile-distant asteroid Ryugu. But they almost certainly came from Earth.
By Ben Turner Published
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Earth's '2nd moon' escapes our planet's orbit — will it ever return?The mini-moon 2024 PT5, which has been orbiting Earth for two months and is likely a chunk of the moon, will now drift away from our planet in an orbit around the sun.
By Ben Turner Published
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Scientists detect the most powerful cosmic rays ever — and their unknown source could be close to EarthNew research reports the most powerful cosmic rays ever detected. Because the rays lose energy as they travel through space, their detection at high energies means they are likely coming from sources relatively close to Earth.
By Ben Turner Published
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Key Atlantic current is weakening much faster than scientists had predictedA current key to stabilizing climates across the Atlantic and beyond could be one-third weaker by 2040, a new study has revealed.
By Ben Turner Published
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Astronomers spot 1 of the most powerful 'sonic booms' in the universe as massive galaxy crashes into its neighborsA shockwave caused by the galaxy NGC 7318b slamming into four other galaxies is akin to a "sonic boom from a jet fighter." Astronomers hope the event will reveal vital secrets about the often-violent evolution of our universe.
By Ben Turner Published
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Gotta Catch 'Em All: How Pokémon Go covertly captured your data for years to train a massive AI modelNiantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, has been scraping users’ scans of the world to build a model that will help robots navigate physical space. Some experts are worried about the potential applications.
By Ben Turner Published
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'A harbinger of what's to come:' NASA satellites show massive drop in global freshwater levelsNASA satellites discovered that Earth's surface has lost enough water to empty Lake Erie two and a half times since 2015. And the problem could be here to stay.
By Ben Turner Published

