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

Climate Crisis

Clay from kitty litter pulls methane emissions from air

A new technology for reducing methane emissions in the atmosphere relies on zeolite, a cheap, abundant clay found in cat litter.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

These solar panels are thinner than a piece of paper

Stanford University researchers announced they had achieved record efficiencies in a promising class of new materials for solar cells — which can be thinner than a piece of paper.

Teresa Carey

Animals

Using robotic fish to harness the “ecology of fear”

To fight an invasive fish threatening Australia’s critically endangered freshwater natives, researchers are looking to robotic predators — and the “ecology of fear” they create.

B. David Zarley

Sustainability

Earthships: The sustainable buildings made from trash

Interest in Earthships, a type of off-the-grid home built from old tires, is picking up as people look for ways to live more sustainably.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Batteries of the future could be made from trees

To improve battery life and safety, while maintaining ionic conductivity, researchers aim to replace the liquids commonly used in batteries with a solid material made from trees.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

The return of sail power

Airseas, a French startup, has just revealed a prototype automated Seawing kite. It is fitted onto a giant Airbus cargo ship and is meant to reduce carbon emissions.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

How buildings can adapt to the seasons

Scientists have invented an all-season smart-roof covering that keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It uses a phase-shifting material that doesn’t require additional electricity.

Teresa Carey

Animals

Can artificial insemination save the ocelot?

There are fewer than 80 ocelots known to exist in the wild in the U.S. Can artificial insemination save the species?

Ashley Reeves

Planet Earth

Online tree of life now connects 2.2 million living species

OneZoom is an interactive “tree of life” that lets you explore the evolutionary connections between more than two million species.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Floating drones mine carbon data in the Gulf Stream

Saildrone has deployed three vessels into the Gulf Stream this winter to collect data on carbon uptake.

Teresa Carey

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