Archive: Jun 2012

The coolest photos of Earth from space we’ve ever seen, hands down

NASA astronaut Don Pettit takes pictures from the International Space Station, and they are mind-boggling. In the long-exposure photos, cities appear as streaks of light as the ISS orbits Earth at Ludicrous Speed. And those blotches? Those are lightning. Holy shit.

Halliburton gets tripped up by Indian bean farmers*

Spiking demand for a bean used in the fracking process has been a huge boon for farmers in rural India -- but it's caused Halliburton's profits to tumble. (Don't worry. They'll survive.)

Tiny corn could be the next big thing

New science suggests that smaller crops might produce the same amount of food with much fewer resources.

Umbra’s second helpings: Untangling the garden hose problem

A reader wonders how to find a hose that's not made of PVC plastics. Umbra's not going to water down this answer.

Off our chests: What breasts tell us about the state of our world

Breasts are amazing things, says Florence Williams, author of the new book "Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History" -- but maybe not for the reasons you think they are.

House Committee Votes to Allow Illegal Loggers to Pillage World’s Forests

Today, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted to allow illegal loggers to undercut the Lacey Act by allowing them to pillage the world’s forests.  The vote was close as a bipartisan group of Representatives voted against the bill that would gut the Lacey Act.  Unfortunately, by a 25-19 vote too many House Members still […]

Coming this August: You, made of garbage

The World Bank's report on the world's garbage creation reveals big differences in how rich and poor countries dispose of waste – both today and in the future.

Hot town, May in the cities

Basically every big city in America was hotter during May 2012 than any May prior. At least according to scientific instruments.

Here is that piano made of bananas you asked for

I’m not going to make a joke about “playing with your food.” I think we’re all above that. But you should all know that some MIT students have developed a bit of tech that will allow you to make your excess produce into a musical instrument. Actually, the MaKey MaKey is even cooler than that […]