Ocean waves may hold secret to efficient renewable energy
As the demand for renewable wind and solar energy steadily increases, the need to reduce the cost and extend the life of renewable energy storage batteries becomes even greater. By getting back to the basics, a University of Cincinnati quantum chemistry researcher looks at how water and other Read More...
How smartphones can help fight global food waste
Food waste is a global epidemic. In America alone it’s estimated that 70 billion pounds of food go unused and uneaten each year. But what if we could get the most out of our fruits and veggies before we toss them into the bin? The first step is making sure we properly use what we already Read More...
Artificial 'plants' could fuel the future
Imagine creating artificial plants that make gasoline and natural gas using only sunlight. And imagine using those fuels to heat our homes or run our cars without adding any greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. By combining nanoscience and biology, researchers led by scientists at University of Read More...
Uber is even bigger than you realize
Uber now serves 2 million rides per day. Just five years in, Uber is the most valuable startup in the world, worth more than $50 billion after its most recent round of funding. It's arguably the quickest to scale as well, and the ride-hailing company doesn't show signs of slowing down: An exclusive Read More...
Why do empires care about women’s clothes
In 1820, in the Indian city of Benares, an English Baptist missionary named Smith helped to save a woman from the Hindu practice of sati, the burning of widows. He described the scene: ‘As soon as the flames touched her, she jumped off the pile. Immediately the Brahmins seized her, in order Read More...
Uber closes on $1.2 billion in funding for China
Ride sharing giant Uber has raised $1.2 billion in new funding to invest in its business in China. The round was led by Chinese search giant Baidu, and Uber’s China subsidiary was valued at $8 billion, according to Chinese news site Sina. Uber was valued at $50 billion in its last round of Read More...
How to reinvent the organization man in the Uber-age
Uber suffered a legal blow this week when a California judge granted class action status to a lawsuit claiming the car-hailing service treats its drivers like employees, without providing the necessary benefits. Up to 160,000 Uber chauffeurs, or “driver-partners” in company-speak, are now Read More...
Low emission biogas also produces fertilizer
TORONTO, CANADA A Canadian chemical engineer has devised a product that transforms the waste generated by biogas production into fertilizer. Andrew White says his SulfaCHAR system eliminates chemical waste from the biogas process, while increasing renewable gas plants' profitability and stopping Read More...
Germany's intrepid refugee helpers
It all began when she was on a trip to northern France and stopped at "The Jungle" refugee camp in Calais and started up a conversation with a man who had fled from Eritrea. "I realised I am here by car and I have the possibility to take someone along - and he doesn't have any other options," the Read More...
The best way to measure a household's resilience? Ask those who live there
The concept of “resilience” is taking development and humanitarian sectors by storm. Huge amounts of finance are being channelled into “resilience-building” activities, aimed at supporting people and communities to deal more effectively with climate extremes, financial Read More...