Watch Elon Musk’s TED talk on his grand tunnel plan, self-driving cars and more
Elon Musk, the CEO of at least three companies that we know of, was on stage at the 2017 TED conference in Vancouver last Friday, mostly blowing minds with a demonstration video for his vision of how a network of underground tunnels might ease traffic concerns. Musk talked about The Boring Company Read More...
How batteries could revolutionize renewable energy
All over California, there's evidence of the state's goal to lead the country in renewable energy. Enormous farms of shiny solar panels have popped up across southern California, and gigantic wind turbines dot the landscape Read More...
How biomimicry innovations are revolutionizing renewable energy
Nature has been doing research and development for some 4 billion years. Human existence is a direct result of all that research and human innovation has often been inspired by nature—looking at birds ultimately led to the invention of aircrafts. Recent advances in technology allow for a much Read More...
Perfect beauty: Manmade, conflict-free diamonds
While filming the movie “Blood Diamond,” Leo DiCaprio was horrified to learn the brutality mining funded in Africa. That’s why he invested in Diamond Foundry. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2012 with $100 million. Diamond Foundry has built a plasma reactor that creates a Read More...
The glorious comeback of California's wildflowers can be seen from space
The seeds had been sleeping on the hills for years. Yes, there were wildflowers in California during the past drought—but not many. The hills looked barred in recent years. After the abundant rains of the past months, the hills have exploded in a “super bloom”. The natural beauty is even Read More...
The liberation of the chimpanzee? Legal personhood could be around the corner
For the past three years, an attorney has been filing lawsuits in New York state on behalf of four chimpanzees. They are intelligent and self-aware, he argues. That’s why they should be treated as “persons” for legal purposes, and they should not be kept in cages. The lawsuits are based on Read More...
10 powerful all-natural antibiotics that have no side-effects
Antibiotics are a great invention for crisis situations. Unfortunately, we are using this emergency tool far too often in cases where less dramatic solutions could be as effective. Super bugs that are resistant to antibiotics is a very nasty and dangerous side-effect of this trend. In most Read More...
Forget self-driving cars. Automated public transportation is coming
Commuting into a city can be a nightmare, am I right? Maybe you're drumming your fingers through a traffic jam or squeezing onto an overcrowded train. Me, I live in London and I know how bad the underground system can get at rush hour. If the tube is delayed or being repaired, getting to and from Read More...
Crowdfunding for medical expenses is rising
It should be obvious as a fundamental principle that in a civilized country, crowdfunding for direct medical expenses should be utterly unnecessary. You get sick or injured, your medical care should be covered by the community at large. Yet public appeals by families or individuals for help paying Read More...
If India meets renewables target, no more coal power needed in 10 years
As the prospects for coal-generated electricity recede globally, India is one of the last bastions of the world's oldest, dirtiest energy source -- although construction of new coal-fired power plants is faltering. From January 2016 to January 2017, development of coal-fired power capacity fell Read More...