Environment
-
Self-Driving Cars Have Arrived
3 days ago
What's the Latest Development? Self-driving cars are already here, though they are a technology of degrees. Features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping technology will be released first. Adaptive cruise control, which automatically adjusts your speed to the car in front of you, is ... Read More
-
The Dark Side of Wind Power
4 days ago
What's the Latest Development? Wind energy is becoming big business, particularly in developing countries where traditional electricity infrastructure is lacking. Wind power also represents a kinder, greener version of economic development. But it is precisely this clean image which allows the ... Read More
-
Bill Gates Backing Geoengineering Projects
4 days ago
What's the Latest Development? Hedging their bets against politicians and a United Nations which seem incapable of finding solutions to climate change, a handful of philanthropic billionaires are funding private geoengineering projects which seek to manipulate the Earth's climate on a global ... Read More
-
Achieving Sustainable Development for the Global Economy
6 days ago
What's the Latest Development? The global economy is on an unsustainable path. In other words, it cannot supply the resources required by future generations while preserving an ecosystem in which we can all live healthily. By 2030, the world's population will require 50 percent more food, 45 ... Read More
-
How the Science of Walking Will Shape Cities
10 days ago
What's the Latest Development? The need for social cohesion, as well as a greater understanding of how pedestrians behave, is changing how planners plan tomorrow's cities. What is called 'shared space' is becoming increasingly popular—areas of the city where pedestrians, cyclists and motorized ... Read More
-
How Spider Webs Inspire New Technology
10 days ago
What's the Latest Development? A team of MIT researchers who recently examined spider webs says the amazing work of nature could improve various human systems, including Internet security and how buildings are designed. Pound-for-pound, the silk which spiders spin is stronger than steel yet it ... Read More
-
New Magnetic Soap Could Revolutionize Cleaning
17 days ago
What's the Latest Development? British scientists have developed a magnetic soap which can be controlled after it is added to another solution, representing a potentially big gain when it comes to cleaning industrial zones and spilled toxins. The soap was created "by dissolving iron in a range ... Read More
-
Are There Climate Change Winners?
18 days ago
What's the Latest Development? While global warming would prove bad for the Earth in general, colder regions of the planet could experience positive changes. New shipping routes could open across the frigid Northern Sea, making it quicker and cheaper to export oil from Russia and Norway to the ... Read More
-
Solar Storm Swallows the Earth
18 days ago
What's the Latest Development? Unless you live at northern latitudes and have seen strong auroras in the night sky, you probably won't be affected by the solar storm that has currently engulfed the Earth in radiation. Even though the sun has fired the most radioactive plasma at us since 2003 ... Read More
-
Here Comes the Smart City
25 days ago
What's the Latest Development? The availability of intelligent technology will begin to differentiate cities in the coming years. Governments willing to invest in more efficient public infrastructure, and encourage their citizens to do the same in the home, will reap a healthier, happier and more ... Read More
-
China Sets CO2 Emissions Limits
25 days ago
What's the Latest Development? China's central government in Beijing will soon require seven provinces and cities to cap their carbon dioxide emissions. The cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen, and the provinces of Hubei and Guangdong have been directed to set 'overall ... Read More
-
Breaking News: Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline
25 days ago
What's the Latest Development? In response to a federally mandated deadline of February 21, the Obama administration has rejected a Canadian company's application to build an oil pipeline from Canada's tar sands to the American gulf. "However, the administration will allow TransCanada to reapply ... Read More
-
Technology for a Cause
27 days ago
The XO 3.0 tablet was one of the most talked about gadgets at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The tablet has a hand cranked accessory that powers the device which can run on Linux or Android. This is helpful for children living in rural areas of developing countries where there ... Read More
-
Does Democracy Work Anymore?
27 days ago
What's the Latest Development? The separation of powers ingrained in the American constitution, along with a host of other rules, seem ill-suited to solving the social and economic crises of our day. Obstructionist partisanship has paralyzed government at such crucial moments that political writer ... Read More
-
Why Does America Dislike Europe?
27 days ago
What's the Latest Development? "He wants us to turn into a European-style welfare state," Mitt Romney recently said of President Obama. Romney is just one of the GOP presidential candidates who have attacked Obama by comparing his administration to European governments. The analogy is made to ... Read More
-
Oil Lobby: Campaign Donations Depend on Keystone Pipeline
about 1 month ago
What's the Latest Development? A new study suggests that lobbying efforts by oil and gas interests have been successful at turning members of Congress in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would transport petroleum from Canada's tar sands to be used in the US. "The study, which is ... Read More
-
The Oldest Humans Have Mundane Genes
about 1 month ago
What's the Latest Development? Boston University scientists have sequenced the genomes of two 114 year-olds, expecting to find structural or functional differences in their genetic makeup that allowed them to live so long. Instead, they found their genes to be, well, pretty normal. The research ... Read More
-
Sea Robots Farm Algae for Fuel
about 1 month ago
What's the Latest Development? A Pennsylvania-based energy start up envisions fleets of tiny robots harvesting the sea for algae which could then be converted into biodiesel. The company, BEAR Oceanics, is currently crowd-funding to create self-sustaining robot farms which must be engineered to ... Read More
-
New Material Soaks Up CO2
about 1 month ago
What's the Latest Development? A new solid material based on polyethylenimine could be the most effective tool yet in keeping excess carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere. Created by a team of scientists that included chemistry Nobel Laureate George Olah, the new solid is derived from a ... Read More
-
'Lost World' Discovered in Antarctica
about 1 month ago
What's the Latest Development? For the first time ever, scientists have explored the East Scotia Ridge deep beneath the Southern Ocean, discovering a trove of new species including a yeti crab, starfish, barnacles, sea anemones—even an octopus. Vents on the sea floor spewing water from beneath the ... Read More