The $7 trillion promise of self-driving vehicles
Why are so many automakers, tech firms, components suppliers and ride-hailing companies pouring billions of dollars into developing self-driving cars and trucks? In part, it's because the payoff could eventually be worth $7 trillion. That's the estimate of a new study from the research firm Read More...
Made from polluting algae: These shoes clean lakes
If you buy these shoes, you are helping clean up a poisoned Chinese lake. The shoes are made from algae that started polluting the lake a decade ago depriving two million people of safe drinking water. Now the algae is harvested from the lake and turned into a flexible, rubbery material that is Read More...
Whisky company is bringing oysters back to the Scottish Highlands
The next time you have a whisky you may contribute to restoring oyster stocks in Scotland. Oysters were abundant in the northeast of Scotland 10,000 years ago. But overfishing almost wiped out the oysters in the late 19th century. This month a project led by the Glenmorangie Distillery, a Read More...
Put your coffee in your tank: Turning coffee grounds into biofuel
Coffee is one of the most wasteful consumer products. Few people realize that harvesting, processing, roasting and brewing coffee discards an estimated 99.7 percent of the biomass, only 0.2 percent is used to make you enjoy your cup of coffee. Millions of tons of agricultural waste are left to rot, Read More...
In Brooklyn you can buy solar power from your neighbor's roof
In Brooklyn, you can buy solar power right off your neighbor's roof. A startup is revolutionizing the way homeowners buy and sell electricity. They are making it possible to auction rooftop solar power directly to your neighbors, creating a market for home-grown clean energy. Here’s why this Read More...
You can reshape your brain… and your experiences
The way you think substantially determines the way you feel. Changing the way you think can change your experiences. Scientists use the term “neuroplasticity” for the idea that you can alter your brain in a physical and mental way by changing its stimuli. Meditation and exercise are, for Read More...
Russian internet giant Yandex shows off its self-driving car
When Russia's Yandex revealed that it, too, was working on self-driving cars, it was hard not to be a bit skeptical. Wouldn't it be well behind American counterparts with a year-long head start, like Waymo? Clearly, it's making up for lost time: Yandex (or specifically, its on-demand service Read More...
This machine sucks CO2 out of the air to save us from climate change
Sitting on top of a waste incineration facility near Zurich, a new carbon capture plant is now sucking CO2 out of the air to sell to its first customer. The plant, which opened on May 31, is the first commercial enterprise of its kind. By midcentury, the startup behind it–Climeworks–believes we Read More...
How investing in agriculture can help sow the seeds of peace
Last week I shook hands with a small boy with a big smile who lives in a pocket of South Sudan that is gripped by famine. I heard stories of families struggling to cope, and witnessed the incredible work humanitarian teams are carrying out, with the support of the European Union and other partners, Read More...
MindCotine uses VR to help you kick the smoking habit
MindCotine wants you to kick the smoking habit, and it is enlisting virtual reality to help. The Redwood City, CA. based company has created a VR app that combines mindfulness practices, psychological therapies, and community engagement to fight nicotine addiction. The company has launched its Read More...