Scientists manipulate brain activity to boost confidence
What does confidence look like in the brain? And can we use this information to help boost confidence in those who suffer from low self-esteem or self-doubt? A new study sheds light on these questions with a new brain-scanning technique that can read and amplify the brainwaves of a high-confidence Read More...
This electric bus company just raised $140 million
According to Proterra, a Burlingame, Ca.-based company, its zero-emission electric buses can drive a stunning 350 miles one charge — and on city streets, no less. With that kind of claim, it’s no wonder investors just poured $140 million into the outfit, which began garnering Read More...
Christmas Day 2016 sets new UK record for renewable energy use
Christmas Day was the greenest on record for energy generation, according to the power group Drax. The company said more than 40% of the electricity generated on the day came from renewable sources, the highest ever. It compared with 25% on Christmas Day in 2015, and 12% in 2012. Andy Koss, chief Read More...
The beating heart of solar energy
The notion of using solar cells placed under the skin to continuously recharge implanted electronic medical devices is a viable one. Swiss researchers have done the math, and found that a 3.6 square centimeter solar cell is all that is needed to generate enough power during winter and summer to Read More...
Here's how we can power 100% of the world with renewable energy
Here's a 2017 New Year's resolution I'd like to see the nations of the world adopt: an immediate international effort to invest in a world where 100 percent of our electricity will be generated by wind, water and solar power by 2050. Such an effort is technically and economically feasible and has Read More...
Israel as a lab for smart transportation
Nearly every Israeli is familiar with the Waze application, which has changed the way we all drive. But the Waze brand only really has a presence in Israel; elsewhere in the world, it has been swallowed up in the company that bought it for $1.1 billion in 2013: Google. Some 70% of all traffic Read More...
Wineries want EPA to ban herbicides that will “kill industry”
Wineries in Texas are worried that federal approval of two highly volatile and drift-prone herbicides used on neighboring genetically modified (GMO) cotton fields will cause widespread damage to their vineyards, The Texas Tribune details. The herbicides in question are Monsanto's dicamba-based Read More...
Bitcoin jumps above $1,000 for first time in three years
Digital currency bitcoin kicked off the new year by jumping above $1,000 for the first time in three years late on Sunday, having outperformed all central-bank-issued currencies with a 125 percent climb in 2016. Bitcoin - a web-based "cryptocurrency" that has no central authority, relying instead Read More...
China expands high-speed rail network to fight air pollution and climate change
China is investing 500 million dollars to increase its high-speed railway coverage with 18,650 miles in the next four years. It’s a huge expansion, the equivalent of driving from New York to Los Angeles more than six times. The upgrade of the public transportation system will connect 80 percent Read More...
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fall to lowest level in 25 years
According to new figures of the U.S. government carbon dioxide emissions in the country have fallen to their lowest level since 1991. The report shows a 20-percent decline in coal-powered electricity generation during the first half of 2016 compared to 2015. By contrast, natural gas power rose 8 Read More...