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

Clean Energy

3 emerging technologies that will give renewable energy storage a boost

The U.S. Department of Energy has predicted that renewable energy will be the fastest-growing U.S. energy source through 2050.

Kerry Rippy

Clean Energy

The US has untapped green energy, hidden in abandoned oil wells

By converting some of its abandoned oil and gas wells into geothermal power stations, the US could secure its clean energy future.

William Lockett

Oceans

3D-printed artificial coral reefs could save coastal fish

A new method for designing and 3D printing custom artificial coral reefs could make them more accurate stand-ins for the natural kind.

Kristin Houser

Animals

WWF report highlights tiger population gains for the Year of the Tiger

The global tiger population is finally increasing after more than a century of gradual decline, a new study from WWF reveals.

Paige Bennett

Climate Crisis

Bioluminescent bacteria will soon light up this French street

French commune Rambouillet is serving as a testing ground for the soft glow of bioluminescent bacteria on the street.

B. David Zarley

Climate Crisis

Big tech companies pledge nearly $1 billion toward carbon removal

The pledge is an advance market commitment — an economic strategy that's been used to increase vaccine coverage across the planet.

Stephen Johnson

Aerospace

Former NHL enforcer builds an incredible electric airplane

An electric airplane developed by Beta Technologies, an ex-NHL player's startup, is on the wish lists of Amazon, the US Army, UPS, and more.

Kristin Houser

Inventions

MIT’s new heat engine beats a steam turbine in efficiency

A new highly efficient heat engine with no moving parts could allow us to generate electricity from renewables year round.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

An accidental discovery could change the world

A surprise discovery by Drexel University scientists could unlock an elusive technology: lithium-sulfur batteries.

William Lockett

Agriculture

One breed of honey bee can survive its deadliest threat

A line of honey bees bred to resist the Varroa mite parasite has proven itself in a large-scale trial involving more than 350 bee colonies.

Kristin Houser

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