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

Argentina’s songbirds explain a mysterious type of speciation

With the help of a group of songbirds, researchers have uncovered the mystery of an evolutionary process called “sympatric speciation.”

Teresa Carey

What is the future of wave energy?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the first commercial-scale, utility grid-connected test site for wave energy.

Teresa Carey

Jets powered by food waste could take off soon

Scientists have devised a method for converting food scraps, animal manure, and used food oil into a type of paraffin that works as jet fuel in jet engines.

Teresa Carey

An explosive lake becomes a source of power

Lake Kivu in central Africa is on the verge of exploding. To prevent disaster, Rwanda is using the lake as a source of energy.

Teresa Carey

Transforming abandoned oil rigs into artificial reefs

Marine scientists are advocating for abandoned oil rigs to be preserved as artificial reefs to save endangered species.

Teresa Carey

Can weather modification save us from megadroughts?

Scientists predict that the western U.S. is entering the most severe "megadrought" on record. One weather modification solution is cloud seeding.

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

This Kenyan startup is turning locust swarms into animal feed

The locust swarms in East Africa are destroying crops, but The Bug Picture plans to transform them into profits.

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

Plants make their own mini weapon launchers to fight off fungus

Scientists engineered plants to stop fungus that causes grey mold. This could lead to natural fungicides that protect food crops without toxins.

Teresa Carey

Ecosystems

New AI tool checks up on ocean health from space

Researchers have developed a machine-learning platform that can rapidly process ocean color from satellite images — giving data on ocean health.

Teresa Carey

Animals

Now you can save endangered species — just by playing games

A new smartphone game will allow players to adopt an endangered animal in the digital world while simultaneously protecting one in the real world.

Teresa Carey

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