Brandon Specktor
Brandon has been a senior writer at Live Science since 2017, and was formerly a staff writer and editor at Reader's Digest magazine. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. He enjoys writing most about space, geoscience and the mysteries of the universe.
Latest articles by Brandon Specktor
Scientists Are Legit Building a Steam-Powered Spaceship, And It Sounds Awesome
By Brandon Specktor published
Half a century after the first manned space flight, space travel may be about to enter the age of steam.
This 'Fossil' Cloud of Pure Hydrogen Gas Could Be a Time Capsule of the Big Bang
By Brandon Specktor published
The emptiest space in the universe is full of gas.
Exploding Stars Helped Kill Earth's Ancient Sea Monsters, New Study Suggests
By Brandon Specktor published
Did an exploding star kill the Earth's biggest sharks?
The Sun's Turbulent North Pole Looks Like a Spooky Vortex in This Composite Image
By Brandon Specktor published
Santa would not do well here.
There's Drug-Resistant Bacteria in the Space Toilets, Guys
By Brandon Specktor published
Always wash your hands after using the space toilet. Always.
Space Pirates Take Warning: This 'Skull and Crossbones Nebula' Is Full of Gas and Baby Stars
By Brandon Specktor published
The constellation NGC 2467 looks like a skull and crossbones.
Einstein and the Incredible Hulk Now Have Their Own Constellations (But You'll Never See Them)
By Brandon Specktor published
NASA added 21 new "constellations" to the sky, thanks to invisible gamma-ray light.
Astronomers Just Caught the Tiniest Cannibal Galaxy in the Universe
By Brandon Specktor published
This cannibal galaxy is tiny, and it's right in our cosmic neighborhood.
Stephen Hawking's Final Book Says There's 'No Possibility' of God in Our Universe
By Brandon Specktor published
Is there room for God in the endless, expanding universe? In his final book, Stephen Hawking says no.
Einstein's Religion-Bashing 'God Letter' Expected to Sell for $1.5 Million at Christie's
By Brandon Specktor published
Einstein's famous letter about God is set to go up for auction.
There Is a Rogue Group of Stars Behaving Very Suspiciously in the Milky Way's Disk
By Brandon Specktor published
Six million stars in the Milky Way's disc are not behaving as they should be.
How Do Flat-Earthers Explain the Equinox? We Investigated.
By Brandon Specktor published
Flat-Earthers try to explain the equinox, and the results are as odd as you'd expect.
The Strongest Material in the Universe Could Be (Nuclear) Pasta
By Brandon Specktor published
These noodles of neutrons may be 10 billion times stronger than steel.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Reminds Us Why Smoking Weed in Space Is a Bad Idea
By Brandon Specktor published
The famed astrophysicist would prefer if you didn't smoke weed in space, thanks.
Eerie Sky Glow Called 'Steve' Isn't an Aurora, Is 'Completely Unknown' to Science
By Brandon Specktor published
There is a beautiful mystery in the sky, and its name is Steve.
Stunning NASA Image Lets You Watch the Sun Explode in Real Time
By Brandon Specktor published
The surface of the sun is a roiling tangle of magnetism, heat and light, stunning new images reveal.
Was a Muppet Just Spotted on Mars?
By Brandon Specktor published
Muppet Labs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China Just Tested a Hypersonic Weapon That Could Launch Nukes at 6 Times the Speed of Sound
By Brandon Specktor published
The successful launch puts China "shoulder to shoulder" with the U.S. and Russia in the hypersonic nuke race.
The World's Deepest, Rarest Diamonds Revealed a Big Secret About Our Planet's Interior
By Brandon Specktor published
Only about 0.02 percent of the world's diamonds are naturally blue. That rare minority holds some huge secrets about the Earth.
A Mysterious, Powerful Force Is Flinging Radio Waves at Us from Deep Space
By Brandon Specktor published
Earth might be getting bombarded by thousands of high-energy radio waves from deep space every day — and scientists have no good explanation (yet).
9 Strange, Scientific Excuses for Why Humans Haven't Found Aliens Yet
By Brandon Specktor published
Where are all the aliens? Scientists have some … unusual theories.
Viral Hoax Claims Mars Will Look As Large As the Moon This Weekend
By Brandon Specktor published
No, Mars won't look as big as the moon this weekend.
Mysterious Substance and 'Devilry' Blamed for 3-Hour 'Solar Eclipse' in Russia
By Brandon Specktor published
The summer sun can shine nearly 24 hours a day in this part of Siberia. On July 20, it was blotted out for 3 hours by a nightmarish cloud.