'You weren’t scared?': Nissan takes us for a ride in the Leaf driverless car
A self-driving car has had its first trials on major London roads, proving the technology works – or it does with an attentive driver behind the wheel to slam on the brakes. Guided by five radars, four lasers and 12 cameras, a converted electric Nissan Leaf has been following a carefully mapped Read More...
How blockchain applications will move beyond finance
To understand the transformation that’s being brought about by blockchain technology, it’s useful to start with its largest implementation to date: bitcoin. In the fall of 2014 my colleague Catherine Tucker and I conducted a large-scale experiment at MIT, in which 4,494 undergraduate Read More...
Deaths from natural disasters in Africa are plummeting thanks to mobile phones
In Africa, the mobile phone has become a vital tool for insurance, health, education, and banking products that allows users to conveniently pay for goods and services. One relatively unknown benefit of the proliferation of phones, however, has been a reduction in deaths from natural disasters. Read More...
One woman has single-handedly helped Denmark reduce food waste by 25 percent
A Russian-woman named Selina Juul who moved to Denmark when she was 13 years old has been credited by the Danish government for single-handedly helping the country reduce its food waste by 25 percent in just five years. Shocked by the amount of food waste at supermarkets, she created the Read More...
China coal consumption drops for the third year in a row
As solar and wind energy production continues to rise in China, coal consumption continues to fall. In fact, China’s coal consumption has declined for the third straight year in 2016, down 4.7 percent from the year before. CO2 emissions dropped a total of 1 percent, and researchers expect that Read More...
Fighting Zika, dengue and malaria without dangerous pesticides
The only large-scale solutions to mosquito-carried diseases like Zika, dengue fever, and malaria involve spraying huge amounts of pesticides, which can be dangerous for people and the environment in general. A new solution for mosquitos may soon be on its way after researchers figured out how to Read More...
How to install solar panels on your roof—to save the earth and your wallet
Putting solar panels on your roof may seem like a painstaking process, but with a little guidance, you can have solar panels powering your home in no time. For the cheapest, most efficient way to turn your home into a mini-solar plant, take a look at this guide to rooftop Read More...
China will replace all 67,000 fossil-fueled taxis in Beijing with electric cars
Taxis are the bane of all urban areas. Typically, they are poorly made, poorly maintained, and spew tons of carbon dioxide into the air every day as they shuttle people from place to place. Beijing has nearly 70,000 taxis. It also has an intractable problem with smog. While it has embarked on an Read More...
This is what Tibetan monks and Navy SEALs have in common
Abraham Maslow once famously said, “When all you’ve got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” What he meant was, when it comes to problem-solving, we tend to get locked into using familiar tools in expected ways. The technical term for this is the Law of the Instrument. Give someone Read More...
Colombia's FARC rebels begin disarming under peace deal
Colombia's leftist FARC rebels are due to to begin surrendering their weapons under a landmark peace deal, marking the delicate transition from an armed group to a political party following more than half a century at war. After weeks of mustering its troops at designated disarmament zones, Read More...