Thor Benson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Author/Co-Author of 25 articles
Thor Benson is an independent journalist who has contributed to Digital Trends, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, NBC News and many other publications.
New nail-on solar shingles offer an affordable alternative to Tesla’s solar roof
GAF Energy has developed an innovative new nail-on solar shingle that's allegedly cheaper and easier to install than Tesla's solar roof system.
How SpaceX could transform Starlink into an ultraprecise GPS network
SpaceX is building the Starlink satellite network in hopes of blanketing the globe in broadband, but it could also be used for a second purpose: GPS
These Black pioneers were pillars of the U.S space program
Black scientists, engineers, and pilots have had a huge impact on the U.S. space program and NASA, and in this article we look back on their lasting legacy.
The future of sustainability: A look at the next evolution of environmental tech
Sustainable energy tech has come a long way in the past decade, but we've still got a long road ahead if we hope to slow climate change. Here's what's next
This ultraportable electric wheelchair can fold up to fit in the trunk of a car
Most electric wheelchairs aren't designed with portability in mind, but Whill's new Model F can collapse down for easy transport when not in use.
CES is hosting a high-speed autonomous car race today. Watch it here
CES is hosting an autonomous car race this year -- and you can watch it live! Here's how to watch the second round of the Indy Autonomous Challenge
Cailifornia has a blackout problem. Could giant flow batteries be the solution?
In an effort to address the state's summer blackout problem, California energy officials are investing in big, building-size batteries that can power cities
Genetic research has a whiteness bias. H3Africa is trying to fix it
African DNA is grossly underrepresented in genetic research, but a number of organizations have sprung up to address the problem.
Women with Byte: Vivienne Ming’s plan to solve ‘messy human problems’ with A.I.
As a theoretical neuroscientist and A.I. expert, Dr. Vivienne Ming is on a mission to solve what she calls messy human problems with the help of A.I.
Harnessing darkness: The race to solve solar power’s greatest problem
Solar panels can't produce energy when the sun isn't shining. But what if they could? As it turns out, scientists all over the globe are working on the problem.
It’s high time for the U.S. to build a high-speed rail network
High-speed rail practically doesn't exist in the United States, but if there's ever been a time where that could change, it's now.
Meet the man on a controversial mission to preserve and digitize your brain
Robert McIntyre is on a mission to preserve human brains so they can be uploaded in the future. Outlandish? Sure. But aren't most groundbreaking ideas?
Robotic police officers are slowly being normalized, whether we like it or not
Robotic police officers are a rare novelty right now, but as law enforcement agencies across the world buy them, they're quickly becoming normalized.
Digitizing your brain: Sci-fi pipe dream, or scientific possibility?
Hooking your brain up to a computer and digitizing your consciousness has long been a staple of science fiction -- but is such a thing possible in real life?
Planet busters: We asked a physicist what it would take to obliterate Earth
The planet-busting nuclear bomb is a classic science fiction trope. But is it really possible to build a nuke big enough to obliterate the globe?
We have the tech to make wildfires less severe. Deploying it is the hard part
A revolutionary new fire retardant gel could help choke fires out before they happen -- if only we could deploy it widely enough
There’s a way to weaken hurricanes, but scientists say it’s too crazy to try
There's a weird natural phenomenon that helps to weaken hurricanes destined for the United States. What if we could re-create that phenomenon ourselves?
Pandemic-fueled automation is gobbling up jobs, and we’ll never get them back
The automation of jobs was already happening before 2020, but now the COVID-19 pandemic has kicked the trend into high gear.
