Latest Articles
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This is the most science-fictiony solar generator we’ve ever seen
If we’re really going to get a significant part of our energy from solar power, we’re going to need to have a LOT of solar panels. Ideally, we’d put solar panels on everything — every roof, every wall, every car. Solar panels on the Capitol. Solar panels on the Moon. So it might be a […]
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Mice are killing people in California, scaring away subway riders in Britain
The spread of hantavirus among mice appears to be an unpleasant side effect of climate change.
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Pencil that sprouts into a plant will solve zero problems but is cool
The 12 people who still write with pencils will be excited about this Kickstarter, funding production of a pencil that sprouts into flowers or herbs when it gets too short to use. This will solve the rampant problem of discarded pencil stubs filling up landfills with … uh … wood and rock. Okay, it won’t solve […]
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Obama administration finalizes 54.5 mpg standard for automobiles
With support from car manufacturers and unions, the new standard promises to save Americans $1.7 trillion at the gas pump.
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Got a broken coral reef? Send in the tiny robots
Coral reefs are fragile. Their biggest enemies: storms and bottom-fishing. Their new best friend? Tiny robots. Yes, robots are now good for more than speaking in a monotone and repeating the same non-sequitur every time you ask them a question. Researchers at Heriot-Watt University are developing swarms of underwater robots that can repair busted coral […]
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Albany Action a Big Boost to No-Fracking Movement
Upwards of 2,000 people attended the Don’t Frack New York demonstration yesterday, Monday, August 27 in Albany, N.Y. That’s a lot of people on a work day in the last week of August. But it wasn’t just the numbers that were impressive. It was the vision articulated by numerous speakers at the pre-march and post-march […]
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Counting the harvest: How numbers can save urban gardens
In 2010, just 67 New York gardens yielded 87,000 pounds of food. Some experts believe data like this is crucial to ensuring the urban agriculture movement takes root.
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Seven years after Katrina, Gulf Coast rail could return bigger than before
Amtrak suspended portions of its Sunset Limited route after Hurricane Katrina washed away swaths of rail. Now mayors from New Orleans to Florida want to bring back more trains than before.
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Now your dank, squalid Man Cave can smell like a national park
This product may be a perfect metaphor for the modern condition: It’s an air freshener that will fill your TV room with chemical compounds that mimic the scent of the national parks, so you can experience a simulacrum of fresh air without ever having to go outside. Hooray for the future!
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This newly discovered fish has its genitals on its head
In the category of “hats you probably shouldn’t wear to the Royal Wedding,” Phallostethus cuulong — a new species of fish discovered in Vietnam — has its genitalia on its head. I really want that to mean that its penis is dongling from its forehead, like some kind of anglerfish/dildo hybrid, but in fact the genitals of […]
