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

Animals

Citizen keepers are raising threatened grasshoppers

The large marsh grasshopper risks extinction. But volunteer citizen keepers are raising the insect for rewilding to newly restored wetlands.

B. David Zarley

Clean Energy

These supergrids are uniting the world’s clean energy supplies

Europe is creating a supergrid across regions, countries, and oceans to smooth out the fluctuations in energy suppliers — and hopefully build more resilient power systems.

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

The world’s first indoor saltwater farm

But Sam Norton, founder of Heron Farms, is using the world's most abundant resource — seawater — to grow sea beans.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

Magical coral spawning event gives reefs renewed hope

The Great Barrier Reef just had its annual coral spawning event. Scientists say this year’s event is proof that the reef can recover.

Teresa Carey

Oceans

Underwater speakers draw fish to restore coral reefs

Reef restoration researchers found that fish were more inclined to settle near new reefs if they sounded like they were already thriving.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Goodbye, rubber. These new steel tires last a lifetime.

An Arizona-based startup called Global Air Cylinder Wheels (GACW) invented a steel tire that eliminates the need for polluting rubber tires.

Teresa Carey

Clean Energy

There's a ton of wind power in the deep sea. Let's go get it.

The most powerful winds can be found over the deep, open ocean. Floating wind turbines could tap into this and 100x our wind energy.

Amanda Winkler

Climate Crisis

New tech “upcycles” junk plastic, reducing its carbon footprint

A chemicals and aircraft parts manufacturer has created a new method for converting low-grade plastic waste into oil, which they can turn into high-quality plastic.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

Rock dust can turn farmland into a sponge for greenhouse gases

Spreading rock dust over large areas of farmland could cause the soil to absorb considerably more carbon from the air, while improving crop yields — a process called mineral weathering.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

The science of climate change in 6 charts

Here's what the science says about climate change — and a few reasons to be optimistic.

Betsy Weatherhead

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