Even though Ben’s attention is now mostly on space, his first step into science was watching the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs documentary about every other day from the age of 4 to 10. He read every dinosaur book he could get his hands on and would attempt to name every animal on display at any natural history museum he visited with his family. And while Ben is still more than happy to talk about paleontology with anyone who will listen, he discovered as an undergraduate that astronomy was also about ancient eras and change over time.

Ben began writing as a contributor to his college’s student newspaper, specifically the Campus Journal section, where he primarily discussed aspects of campus life while occasionally weaving in his curiosity about science and the public’s engagement with it. He is currently a freelance writer with a focus on areas including stars, galaxies, exoplanets, and machine learning applications in astronomy.

When he isn’t writing, researching, or helping his family, he reads avidly. While he primarily read novels for his Literature degree, he also enjoys non-fiction works covering history, politics, and sociology. And if he isn’t reading, he’s probably playing Civilization VI or Elden Ring, where he, shockingly, always plays the “Science Victory” and “Age of the Stars” routes, respectively.

Ben has contributed to Sciworthy since May, 2024. You can read his articles here.

Reinventing fabric coatings from textile waste. Water-repellent textiles are found in everyday items like raincoats, sportswear, shoes, and furniture, which they help keep dry, clean, and stain-free. However, industries produce these fabrics using toxic chemicals that accumulate as waste. Scientists at Cornell University developed a sustainable way to upcycle discarded polyester and spandex fabrics into durable, toxin-free coatings using nanotechnology. Read about it here.

Microbes prefer biodegradable plastic. Researchers from Switzerland tested whether microbial communities that live on biodegradable plastics are different from those that live on traditional plastics or in plastic-free soil. They found that microbes living on biodegradable plastics have more genes for plastic degradation than those living on traditional plastics. This means they should be able to degrade biodegradable plastic faster and easier than traditional plastic! Read about it here.

Natural materials for green energy. Green energy technologies support a sustainable planet, but they also come with drawbacks. Notably, wind turbines and electric vehicles rely on advanced magnets that contain rare earth elements, or REEs. Scientists from the University of Dublin recycled discarded eggshells to capture REEs at lower temperatures than traditional methods. They suggested that widespread adoption of this method could result in cost-effective REE recycling and refinement and help fill the growing demand for REEs in the transition to green energy. Read about it here.

Recycling city waste for urban farming. Cities generate a lot of waste, which builds up in landfills and releases greenhouse gases. Researchers at UC-Davis tested whether adding organic waste to the soil of urban farms could change the soil microbes and improve crop growth compared to conventional mineral fertilizers. They found that adding city waste products to local farms promoted a healthy soil microbiome and even improved how tomatoes taste! Read about it here.