There are big opportunities in the world's big challenges
In every threat to the planet, there's a potential opportunity either to avert that threat or mitigate its impact. Take climate change. Rising seas and deeper droughts are enormous long-term risks, but there's also opportunities for new infrastructure and different types of agriculture, innovations Read More...
6-hour workdays lead to happier workers in Sweden, and no loss in production
Working fewer hours does not lead to a loss in productivity and does increase happiness and health of workers. That’s the outcome of a 2-year experiment in Sweden with companies that switched to a 6-hour workday. In an earlier government experiment, the Swedes concluded that the extra costs were Read More...
Recycling 2.0: Scientists discover a plastic-eating bacteria
Plastic pollution is a big problem. The good news is that a research team has finally found a microbe that eats plastic. Unlike natural polymers (such as cellulose in plants) plastics aren’t biodegradable. Bacteria and fungi co-evolved with natural materials, coming up with new biochemical Read More...
Study: Autism symptoms diminish after gut improves with fecal transplant
Rebalancing the bacteria in the gut with a fecal transplant leads to positive behavioral changes in children with autism. That’s the outcome of a new study. A fecal transplant is a method of introducing donated healthy microbes into people with gastrointestinal disease to rebalance the gut. The Read More...
California sets the most ambitious climate goal in the U.S.
California doesn’t care what the new federal global warming policies in Washington D.C. may be and has set the most ambitious goal to cut carbon emissions in the U.S. According to the newly released plan emissions will be cut 40 percent over 1990 levels by 2030. “We’ve got the scientists, Read More...
5 ways to say “no”: Staying productive is all about deciding what not to do
What you don’t do on a daily basis is at least—if not more—important than what you actually do take action on. Of course, saying "no" is easier said than done. Many of us have an intuitive desire to please others, to explore every opportunity, to take on more than we can handle, and worry Read More...
How sun exposure improves our immune function
Mounting research confirms that sun avoidance may be at the heart of a large number of health problems. Not only does your body produce vitamin D in response to sun exposure on bare skin, but sunlight also produces a number of other health benefits that are unrelated to vitamin D production. In Read More...
Renewables now cheapest, but how to enable faster renewable energy growth
Renewable energy is now the cheapest option, on average, for new electricity capacity around the world — in developed countries like the U.S. as well as developing countries like India, China, Nigeria, and Mexico. As I noted the other day, we need to keep channeling this message to the broader Read More...
Can artificial intelligence make supply chains sustainable?
Last week’s World Economic Forum in snowy Davos, Switzerland, brought a blizzard of proclamations about the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence, along with an avalanche of debate over its job-killing potential. The good news for us humans is that the current generation of AI technologies Read More...
Tesla quietly introduces longest-range electric car on the market
Without much fanfare, Tesla has added a new battery option to its menu. The Model S 100D, currently listed at a base price of $92,500, offers an EPA-rated range of 335 miles on a full charge, making it, according to Autoblog, the longest-range consumer electric vehicle in the world. The range is 20 Read More...