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

Oceans

3d-modeling is changing how we see deep sea corals

We don’t understand deep sea coral reefs. Photogrammetry is the first step to unlocking their significance.

Teresa Carey

Food

Fertilizer feeds half the world. Can we make it without fossil fuels?

Fertilizer is needed to feed the world, but its production comes with a carbon footprint. This solar-powered strategy may reduce that.

B. David Zarley

Economics

With US clothing sales in a freefall, Walmart sells secondhand

Consumers can now purchase secondhand clothing from a new resale store in the largest retailer - Walmart.

Teresa Carey

Series| Challengers

This carbon-negative dream house ships in a box

5:11

A startup described as the “IKEA of houses” is determined to make beautifully-designed, energy efficient homes affordable for everyone.

Doug Dais

Exploring the ocean floor with autonomous underwater vehicles

Efficient, autonomous, and economical, the AUV is quickly becoming essential for underwater research.

B. David Zarley

Oceans

NASA app asks players to help map our oceans

While social distancing, volunteer data collectors can contribute to research by helping map oceans with NASA's citizen science app.

Teresa Carey

Aerospace

Space plane experiment could lead to 24/7 solar power

The next time the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane launches, it’ll be carrying an experimental solar panel that could revolutionize clean energy.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Sending heat to space to reverse global warming

This high-tech material could reverse global warming by using radiative cooling to lower the Earth’s rising temperature.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

A new approach to green building could reverse climate change

The building sector is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. But new research suggests that trend could stop, and even reverse because of a new type of green building.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

The hidden history in the Notre Dame attic

Studying the scarce, centuries-old logs that remain from the Notre Dame attic will help scientists reconstruct medieval climate data to see if temperatures were ever this high.

Teresa Carey

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