Energy

an overhead shot of land split in three. the left side is dry and dusty. the middle has some vegetation, and the right side has a lot.

Desertification is destroying fertile land. Here’s how we’re fighting it.

a female presenting person in a lab coat holding a solar cell

New “tandem” solar cell breaks world record

A new tandem solar cell containing layers of silicon and perovskite has demonstrated an unprecedented efficiency of 33.7%.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

These 4 charts show the unstoppable growth of solar

Solar is growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050, but infrastructure needs to keep up.

Andrew Blakers

a rendering of a building in a soccer stadium taking up about one-fourth of the pitch

Clean Energy

Westinghouse’s small nuclear reactor could power the future

Westinghouse Electric Company has unveiled a small nuclear reactor based on the same tech as a larger reactor already in operation.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

World’s first thermal energy storage “gigafactory” opens

Israel’s Brenmiller Energy has opened what is believed to be the first thermal energy storage gigafactory in the world.

B. David Zarley

Clean Energy

Battery density breakthrough could be enough to power electric planes

CATL, the largest manufacturer of EV batteries in the world, has announced a new super powerful one — but details are light.

B. David Zarley

small containers filled with a cream-colored substance

Food

Lab-grown meat is about to get fatty

Tufts University has unveiled a new technique for producing lab-grown fat that could improve the taste and texture of cultured meat.

Kristin Houser

an illustration of a ship on the water trailing a red substance

Climate Crisis

Scientists want to dump iron nanoparticles into the oceans to save the planet

Engineered nanoparticles could make ocean fertilization a viable weapon in the battle against climate change.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

Shutting down nuclear power could increase air pollution

If nuclear reactors are retired, polluting energy sources that fill the gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office

a scientist looking at material in a small jar

Clean Energy

New lithium recycling method is cleaner and cheaper

A cheaper, cleaner lithium recycling method could help ensure we have enough of the valuable metal to power the clean energy future.

Kristin Houser

three squares of textured film on a colorful background

Climate Crisis

Colorful film keeps houses and cars up to 20 F colder than the air

A colorful passive cooling film could help keep homes and cars cool without environmentally destructive air conditioning.

Kristin Houser

a large meatball on a stone serving platter with a strip of sauce on it

Food

Meatball made from woolly mammoth unveiled in the Netherlands

An Australian cultured meat startup has “resurrected” the woolly mammoth in the hope that people will think about eating it.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

This easy fix could eliminate harmful chemical exhaust from home heaters

Retrofitting gas heaters with this catalyst could slash their environmental impact.

Sam Jarman

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