Welcome to the Silver Age
By JURRIAAN KAMP There was a time—as strange as that may sound today—that people were looking forward to getting older. Until the late 19th century, it was cool to look old. Men did their best to appear older by wearing wigs powdered white. Clothing accentuated an older build: narrower, rounded Read More...
Study: policies are leading to CO2 emission decreases in 18 countries
A new study that looked at the carbon footprint of 18 countries between 2005 and 2015 found that with the right measures and policies in place, governments that turn away from fossil fuels towards renewables could achieve good progress in reducing their CO2 emissions. Researchers found that many Read More...
Ultra-sensitive “lab-on-a-chip” spots cancer in a single drop of blood
Detecting cancer in patients can be a painstaking process, one that takes time and isn’t always accurate. A new device out of the University of Kansas is set to change that completely. The device, which has been dubbed the “lab-on-a-chip”, allows doctors to detect cancer quickly from a Read More...
To prevent human-bear conflict, wildlife rangers are turning to dogs
When dozens of polar bears descend upon the northern Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, no one was sure what to do. The bears entered homes and public buildings, and people were afraid to go outside. But polar bears are an endangered species, and the federal government has refused to issue Read More...
You must see the winning photos from this underwater photography contest
Even if you have traveled to every piece of land on the planet, in reality, you’ve only seen 30 percent of the Earth’s surface. That’s because the remaining 70 percent is covered by the ocean—much of which has yet to be explored. Massive, majestic, and mysterious, seeing imagery of life in Read More...
This coal giant is switching to climate-friendly assets—despite Trump
Glencore was one of the coal mining giants that were set to benefit greatly from President Trump’s generous laws favoring coal. But instead of grabbing the opportunity with both hands and pushing coal energy forward, Glencore has put a cap on its coal production and announced it will switch its Read More...
Energy storage through big batteries may be closer than you think
You might only think about energy storage when your laptop or cellphone is running out of juice, but utilities can plug bigger versions into the electric grid. And thanks to rapidly declining lithium-ion battery prices, using energy storage to stretch electricity generation capacity is becoming Read More...
Start-up transforms consumer trash into beautifully designed furniture
Sustainability and aesthetics are two things that don’t usually go hand in hand. That’s not the case for Pentatonic – a start-up that uses innovative thinking to invent new materials using the world’s most abundant and dangerous resource – human trash – without compromising an inch of Read More...
Spending just 20 minutes in a park will improve your emotional well-being
It’s no mystery that exposure to nature has some amazing benefits to our general well-being like reducing stress or increasing our energy levels. But the question that naturally arises is how much time do we actually need to be able to reap those benefits. A new study might have an answer to that Read More...
Charcoal-coated seeds could help reverse deforestation in Kenya
Deforestation is an immense problem for the Kenyan people. Each year, a staggering 120,000 acres of forests are lost due to illegal logging and urbanization. That also leads to a serious water shortage in the country because trees collect, filter, and release rain into streams and rivers. In an Read More...