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

Sustainability

A sweet way to recycle cotton — turn it into sugar

What’s better than recycled cotton — transforming it to sugar for reuse. Researchers have a recipe for success.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

Should we genetically engineer carbon-hungry trees?

Genetically modified trees that are designed to grow faster and store more carbon could help reverse climate change.

Teresa Carey

Disaster Response

Spectacular volcano eruption in Galapagos could lead to early warning system

Scientists used seismic monitors to record motion data of a volcano eruption, which could be used to understand early warning signals for a pending eruption.

Teresa Carey

DIY

Reclaiming city spaces with “tactical urbanism”

5:35

In partnership with Ford

From guerilla gardening to pop-up parks, tactical urbanism is catching the world by storm.

Jack Berning

Ecosystems

Targeted wetland restoration efforts could cut nitrogen pollution in half

Researchers used computer models to evaluate wetland restoration scenarios and found that strategic wetland placement is the key to cleaning up water pollution.

Teresa Carey

Clean Energy

Massive green hydrogen projects are underway

Large-scale ventures are a big step toward testing whether we can create a marketplace for green hydrogen in a way that makes economic sense.

Amanda Winkler

Agriculture

The world’s fastest-growing plant could help solve food scarcity and climate change

Scientists have uncovered the genetic underpinnings of the duckweed, the fastest growing plant, and it could help optimize future crops.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

Elon Musk offers $100 million for direct carbon capture tech

A new Xprize competition funded by Elon Musk offers $100 million in prizes for scalable direct carbon capture technology.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

Diy factory turns plastic waste into super-strong bricks

Kenyan startup Gjenge Makers turns plastic waste into plastic bricks that are stronger, lighter, and cheaper than their concrete counterparts.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

Electricity and chemistry could give biofuels a big boost

Scientists found an easier way to produce a chemical reaction important in making biofuels, possibly lowering the cost of biofuel production.

Teresa Carey

Sections

Video

Freethink

We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future.