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Should we compromise on key environmental laws to get greentech support? Alexis Madrigal wonders

This is the fifth and final post in a series from my conversation with Atlantic tech channel editor Alexis Madrigal about themes and stories from his new book, Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology. DR: How should the lessons from your book alter the strategies of technologists and policymakers? How can […]

New line of kitchen appliances will be powered by poo [APRIL FOOLS]

UPDATE: This is an April Fools' Day post, entirely made up. Your smoothies are safe.

It might be time to rethink the adage "don't sh*t where you eat." Silicon Valley-based startup Advanced Recycling Concepts (ARC) announced Thursday that it will soon be offering a new line of kitchen appliances powered by poo, following a recent trend of excrement-powered homes, gardens, and streetlights. (We sh*t you not.) The company will be introducing poop-powered blenders, mixers, coffeemakers, and food processors -- which means you might want to pay a little more attention when you whip up that morning protein shake.

Unlike with the dog-doo streetlights in Cambridge, Mass., owners of these kitchen gadgets won't have to actually handle their own crap in order to reap the electrical benefits. "Understandably there are hygiene concerns, but we want our customers to rest assured that these appliances are not only off the grid, but restaurant-grade in terms of sanitation," said the company’s chief technical officer, Glen Matlock. The idea might sound way out there, but ARC has backing from big-time venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins.

Happy April Fools' Day!

Climate change linked to rising infertility [APRIL FOOLS]

UPDATE: This is an April Fools' Day post, entirely made up. To the best of our knowledge, your ovaries are blissfully unaware of climate chaos.

Mmm, nothing like some hot scrambled huevos: A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details rising infertility rates in America -- and, for the first time, cites global warming as one potential culprit. The report, released earlier this week, says that 17 percent of couples in the U.S. are experiencing difficulty bearing fruit -- a 5 percent jump from 2005. Airborne toxins and even Old Spice body wash have previously been linked to lower fertility, but climate change is a new one. The report says that rising global temperatures, and extreme temperatures in particular, seem to be affecting women's body chemistry in poorly understood ways, thus hampering their ability to conceive and carry a baby to term. It's a controversial theory sure to inspire lots more research and provoke plenty of criticism.

Spelt linked to cancer & other health problems, even as Big Ag muscles in on market [APRIL FOOLS]

Spelt is the ultimate health food, right? Not so fast. New research links it to spleen and kidney cancers. Meanwhile, Monsanto is trying to approve Roundup Ready seeds.

Coal plants don’t create the jobs they promise, study finds

Coal-fired power plants sicken and kill tens of thousands of Americans every year, especially those (generally low-income, often minority) Americans who have the misfortune of living near them. So why would any community allow a coal plant to be built in its midst? Indeed, why would communities pay enormous amounts of money in bribes development […]

Peak Oil, not Libya, is the reason you’re paying more at the pump

The further into the post-carbon age we grind, the more mainstream the notion of peak oil becomes. Long derided because it runs contrary to the only two things more American than football and corn syrup — that would be endless economic expansion and our right to commute 90 minutes a day, should we so choose […]

Is Obama’s weak-sauce energy policy just savvy political Kung-Fu?

For the next couple of years, Obama is playing defense on climate change, and that could explain the fairly tame energy policy he announced yesterday, says Ezra Klein of The Washington Post. Like the Kung-Fu masters of yore, he knows that he cannot hope to defeat his opponents in a frontal assault. These are, after […]

Senator from Louisiana wants to drill for oil in Alaska

David Vitter (R-La.) has 28 cosponsors on a bill in the Senate that would block EPA climate regulations (par for the course), expand offshore oil exploration (how soon we forget), and … open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. It's the political football that just won't go away. If this country is around […]

Watch a Robot swap out batteries from this electric vehicle [VIDEO]

Electric cars are the only kind that anyone will be able to afford after we run the eff out of oil, but charging them is a pain. Better Place has a Better Idea™ — when your batteries run low, pull into one of their stations and wait a mere three minutes while a robot swaps […]