This yellow blob at the zoo in Paris has scientists scratching their heads
If you go to the Paris Zoological Park, you’ll come across a creature unlike any other. It’s not an animal, but rather, a sort of yellow blob that looks like a living pile of old silly string with a powerful hunger for fungus. As you can imagine, scientists have had a hard time classifying Read More...
Air conditioners could become more sustainable thanks to novel refrigerant
Last year, Americans used a mind-boggling 377 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to stay cool. In layman's terms, that’s about 9 percent of the nation’s total electricity use, spent primarily on air conditioners. Enter Bluon, a startup that makes a new refrigerant for air conditioners, Read More...
How a team of goats saved the Ronald Reagan library from wildfires
Back in April, a squadron of 500 goats was released on the lands that surround Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles. Why? To munch their way through around 13 acres of scrubland around the library that could’ve provided tinder-like fuel to a wildfire--one that would arrive some 7 Read More...
Earth’s rocks play a huge role in carbon storage
Next time you walk outside, say a little thank you to the ground beneath your feet. It is storing far more carbon than we previously knew. Carbon is stored in all living beings, but work by the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) has revealed that 90% of our planet’s carbon is stored underground. Read More...
This wound-healing sticky tape was inspired by spiders in the rain
When it comes to design, there’s no better source of inspiration than nature. Recently, scientists at MIT took inspiration from spiders to create a double-sided tape that sticks body issues together after surgery. When it rains, spiders exude a special type of “glue” that allows them to Read More...
Japan just unveiled an eco-friendly automobile made of wood
Electric cars have revolutionized the automotive industry in terms of making cars more planet-friendly. But the Japanese Ministry of the Environment decided to take it even a step further by manufacturing a car made from plant-based materials. A project undertaken by the Japanese government in Read More...
Restore Oakland brings together design and restorative justice programs
Innovative prison systems in countries like Norway and Denmark are demonstrating the power of restorative justice for reforming our criminal systems. Restore Oakland, a center in Oakland, is adopting principles of rehabilitation and community strength to end the cycle of mass incarceration in their Read More...
Greta Thunberg declines environmental prize: ’The climate doesn’t need awards’
We already knew that Greta Thunberg was the coolest teenager around, but she proved it once again this week after refusing to accept a “prestigious” environmental award. The young climate activist had won the Nordic Council’s annual environment prize, which comes with a prize sum of 350,000 Read More...
Long distance electric buses could change the way we travel
In Europe, everyone knows the sight of the big green Flixbus that takes people on long-distance trips from city to city. In the US, this sight is virtually unknown, but you might start seeing Flixbus operating on the great roadways of America very soon. This past week, a bright green electric bus Read More...
Here’s everything you need to know about the end of daylight savings time
On Sunday, November 3, at 2 am, we’ll turn our clocks back one hour, heralding the end of daylight saving time for much of the country. The biggest consequence: The change shifts daylight back into the morning hours. For 9-to-5 office workers, it means saying goodbye to leaving work while Read More...