Latest Articles
-
How to translate climate science into Average Joe-ese
Communicating science can be a challenge — not everybody wants to be communicated to, for one thing, and also a lot of words with specialized Science Meanings also have regular meanings that are completely different. (If you don't believe me, try using the phrase "quantum leap" to a particle physicist.) In the wake of the […]
-
Coming in 2013: Electric DeLorean!
The DeLorean Motor Company (not the original one but a reboot) will be coming out with an all-electric version of the iconic gull-wing auto in 2013 -- two years early for the events of Back to the Future II. Dear god, we'd better get cracking on those self-lacing shoes!
-
Get the lead out: Clean air tied to decline in violent crime
Research ties the decades-long drop in violent crime to reduced urban lead poisoning.
-
New Facebook app will let friends compete over energy efficiency
Companies large and small (including influential ones like Google) have been trying to convince consumers that they should actually use all the new smart-grid information to tamp down their energy use. So far, these programs have had little luck. Basically it’s hard to get consumers to pay attention to anything besides updating their Facebook status. So it’s lucky that Facebook now offers an energy-efficiency app.
Facebook is taking a stab at promoting energy efficiency through data, in partnership with Opower and NRDC. Next year a Facebook app will let user compete with friends over their energy use. -
You know you want to knit a sweater for a penguin
Now is the time for all good knitters to come to the aid of some penguins. The New Zealand oil spill has left the little guys in need of some warmth and protection, and a Kiwi yarn store has posted patterns for how to knit "penguin jumpers" and instructions on where to send them.
-
New GE factory will spit out a solar panel every 10 seconds
China makes a lot of solar panels, but so does America. Or at least, it will, once GE's new thin-film panel factory opens in Colorado.
The factory marks GE's new, large bet on solar, and states across the country competed to have the factory sited within their borders. Colorado had an empty factory that fit the bill and will snatch up a few hundred jobs as a result.
-
Critical List: Judge rules on polar bears’ status; Cain’s wrong on wind and solar
A new ruling on the polar bear's status as a threatened species gives the Obama administration the power to decide the species' fate.
Amtrak carried more passengers last year than ever before.
The E.U. is wondering whether it should just give up its GHG reduction plans since no one else in the world seems be doing their part to decrease emissions.
-
Fumigation nation: Battling pesticide use in California
In this dispatch from the nation's produce capital, we find school teachers, farmers, activists, and scientists working together to combat methyl iodide, and seeking out alternatives to all toxic fumigants.
-
Solar panels under power lines could be a major electricity source
Moving toward renewable energy won't require massive solar projects. We could get 20 percent of our power just from solar panels under power lines.
-
Why the food movement should occupy Wall Street
Two points in the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City address the food system. While barely scratching the surface, the protesters have provided an important opening for the food movement. Will we seize it?
