Energy
Energy powers civilization. Developing technologies that can deliver abundant, sustainable energy is the challenge of our time and the promise of our future. Failure is not an option.
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“Stopping climate change” is the wrong goal
Anything that matters to humans should be under our control. The climate matters—so we should control the climate.
What is The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050?
We have a historic opportunity to harness AI and other transformative technologies in order to make a much better world in the next 25 years.
These red-hot “green jobs” could help Gen Z cope with its eco-anxiety
“Green” jobs that help combat the climate crisis are on the rise, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report.
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This battery may solve renewables’ energy storage problem
Flow batteries are a type of liquid battery that has the potential for large-scale, long-term energy storage. Researchers have found a new material for flow batteries and it looks a lot like molasses.
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Inside the lab inventing “coffee” without beans to save the planet
Almost all of the last wild forests will have to be destroyed to support the growth of coffee.
Batteries of the future could be made from trees
To improve battery life and safety, while maintaining ionic conductivity, researchers aim to replace the liquids commonly used in batteries with a solid material made from trees.
How buildings can adapt to the seasons
Scientists have invented an all-season smart-roof covering that keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It uses a phase-shifting material that doesn’t require additional electricity.
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Just Might Work
Tornado Alley miracle: A 100% accurate tornado sensor invented by accident
Can this recycled technology save the citizens of Tornado Alley?
Solar powered cars could soon hit the streets — but can they be efficient enough to go mainstream?
If they work, solar-powered cars could be great for the environment. Here’s the startups working to make that happen.
Floating drones mine carbon data in the Gulf Stream
Saildrone has deployed three vessels into the Gulf Stream this winter to collect data on carbon uptake.
Citizen keepers are raising threatened grasshoppers
The large marsh grasshopper risks extinction. But volunteer citizen keepers are raising the insect for rewilding to newly restored wetlands.
Inside the world’s most advanced cultivated meat facility
UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) is offering consumers tours of “the world’s most advanced cultivated meat production facility.”
These supergrids are uniting the world’s clean energy supplies
Europe is creating a supergrid across regions, countries, and oceans to smooth out the fluctuations in energy suppliers — and hopefully build more resilient power systems.
Paris to make the Seine River swimmable for the Olympics
Paris’ plan to make its iconic Seine River swimmable for the 2024 Summer Olympics could help other cities clean up their own waterways.
The world’s first indoor saltwater farm
But Sam Norton, founder of Heron Farms, is using the world’s most abundant resource — seawater — to grow sea beans.
Luminescent materials could cool our cities and light the streets
Luminescent materials could be used to cool our cities, and simultaneously cut down on electricity.
There’s a ton of wind power in the deep sea. Let’s go get it.
The most powerful winds can be found over the deep, open ocean. Floating wind turbines could tap into this and 100x our wind energy.
New tech “upcycles” junk plastic, reducing its carbon footprint
A chemicals and aircraft parts manufacturer has created a new method for converting low-grade plastic waste into oil, which they can turn into high-quality plastic.
Rock dust can turn farmland into a sponge for greenhouse gases
Spreading rock dust over large areas of farmland could cause the soil to absorb considerably more carbon from the air, while improving crop yields — a process called mineral weathering.
7 scientists we are thankful for this Thanksgiving
One of these scientists saved more lives than any other person in history.
NASA plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2031
NASA and the Department of Energy are asking U.S. companies for help putting a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2031.
Self-driving electric tractor startup to boost production eight-fold
California startup Monarch Tractor has raised $61 million to increase production of its self-driving electric tractor.
The science of climate change in 6 charts
Here’s what the science says about climate change — and a few reasons to be optimistic.
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