New battery design can charge an electric car in just 5 minutes
One of the major barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles is the length of time it takes to charge the battery compared to filling a car with petrol. What might alleviate the issue, though, is a new kind of battery technology developed by scientists at Penn State University, which overcomes Read More...
Music festivals are leading to sustainable-living experiments
Go to the grounds of a music festival after it comes to a close, and you’ll think you just arrived at the scene of an apocalypse with all the plastic that gets left behind. It’s the unfortunate downside of music festivals, which have become increasingly popular over the last few years. In fact, Read More...
New York City to get 250 miles of protected bike lanes in move to improve safety
There are nearly 800,000 people who cycle the streets of New York regularly. But due to the city’s lack of adequate road infrastructure for bicycles, safety remains a serious issue for many riders and potential cyclists. Now that’s set to change as the city council gets prepared to build Read More...
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...