Beavers are being looked at as little climate change fighting machines
Sarah Konigsberg is documenting the efforts of six people across the US who are working to bring the big-tailed and bucktoothed beavers back to lakes and rivers across the country.Like beavers...
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How one woman fought one of the world’s biggest oil companies — and won
Officials in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, are currently mulling a proposal from Shell Oil to build a new chemical plant in their backyard. But before they make a decision, they might want to listen to...
View ArticleOnline learning holds great promise — but mostly for the well-off
It’s easy to be hopeful about online learning; a world where anyone — regardless of income, race, or gender — is able to access the same high-quality instruction. Some have imagined that it could truly...
View ArticleA seven-year-old photo captures the thunderous changes in Arctic glacier melt
Seven years ago in a fjord near Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, glaciologist Jason Amundson captured a photo of a 900-meter-high iceberg capsizing, ice crystals flaring up around it like stage...
View ArticleNatural gas and solar power have been growing together. Can that last?
If you want a quick overview of the state of electrical generation in the United States, just take a look at the Xcel Energy’s High Bridge Generating Station in St. Paul, Minnesota.Opened in 2008 as a...
View ArticleThat one-way ticket to Mars you were hoping for may not be such a good idea
A Dutch nonprofit called Mars One has proposed a Mars mission with a twist that's captured worldwide attention: it's a one-way trip. But an MIT study published last fall says that very aspect could be...
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Finding the forgotten women who programmed the world’s first electronic computer
When Kathy Kleiman started researching the history of computer programming as an undergraduate, she came across old black-and-white photos of the people who worked on the ENIAC, the world’s first...
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A deal on Africa's biggest dam eases tensions on the Nile
After years of wrangling, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have agreed to a controversial hydroelectric dam, Africa's biggest, being built on a major branch of the Nile River.Under the deal, Ethiopia will...
View ArticleBlocked in the US, Amazon drones go north of the border
Amazon is hoping fleets of drones will soon offer super-fast delivery to its milions of customers. But you might need to move to Toronto if you want in.That's because FAA regulations are making it...
View ArticleHere's what happens after 'Surprise!'
April Fool's Day may be over, but surprises can pop up any day of the year. So when the unexpected happens, what's actually happening inside your brain?"Surprise is actually categorized as something...
View ArticleThe 99,000 cherry trees Japan planted to salve the sorrow of a tsunami
Cherry blossom season has once again returned to Japan. While the arrival of the delicate pink flowers means social media is filling up with some incredibly beautiful photos, the bloom also represents...
View ArticleCalifornia faces the worst water emergency since the Dust Bowl, and it needs...
For the first time in its history, California will force its citizens to cut their water usage in response to the state's long-running drought."It's the most significant ecological emergency in the...
View ArticleRecord-low snowpack in Pacific Northwest could be ‘dress rehearsal’ for...
When officials in drought-stricken California found last week that snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada mountains were at historic lows, they took drastic action, implementing unprecedented water-use...
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Looking for water? Try Jupiter's largest moon.
In the search for extraterrestrial life within our solar system, Mars has tended to dominate the conversation. But there may be more promising destinations a little further afield. For decades,...
View ArticleThe Me Epoch: Latest geologic age is self-centered
Your parents warned you not to be too self-centered. But, if you’re a geologist, that may turn out to be crummy advice.Geologists are now hotly debating — though, when it comes to geologists, that’s...
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How do you catch the sun to make electricity at night? This German inventor...
Wolfram Walter is a man obsessed with things electric.He’s electrified his bicycle. He’s electrified his Porsche. When he introduces his dog, Paula, you almost expect him to tell you that he’s...
View ArticleHow 'Terminator 2' inspired technology that could revolutionize 3D printing
Sometimes life really can imitate art. And when the art in question is “Terminator 2" and the person doing the imitating is a chemist and material scientist, then things can get really...
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When the grid says 'no' to wind and solar power, this company's technology...
Too much solar and wind power. Really? Is that possible?It’s a good problem to have, because if we’re going to beat climate change, we’re going to need way more low-carbon energy than we get now.But...
View ArticleWhen science and politicians collide, a scientist finds herself out of a job
Plenty of politicians say they're not scientists. But when politics bumps up against science, there are consequences for all of us.Anne Glover, a former chief scientific adviser to the president of the...
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The car of the future — the very near future — might be driven by the wind
In a city bursting with 20th century history and 21st century glitz, the scrap of Berlin I’ve found myself in on a grey winter’s morning is the definition of ordinary, an American-style mini-mart /gas...
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