Yesterday, NASA’s first spacecraft built to study carbon dioxide arrived at its California launch site. After completing final tests, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory will lift off in January 2009. Scientists hope that the observatory’s launch will give us a better understanding of carbon dioxide and Earth’s carbon cycle.
“A toast to the end of the Bush Era…” That was the first sentence of an amazing presentation held by Sir Nicholas Stern in São Paulo at the Federation of the Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) on Tuesday this week. In less than an hour, Dr. Stern … [continued]
According to researchers at Columbia University, peridotite rocks could be harnessed to capture carbon dioxide in large quantities, potentially offsetting billions of tons of CO2 emissions each year. The rocks, found in Oman, California, New Guinea and elsewhere, produce calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate rock (both solids) upon contact with … [continued]
Time Magazine has named the Bionic Energy Harvester, a knee brace that harnesses energy from walking, as one of the Top 50 Inventions of 2008. The 3.5 lb brace works by generating power using the same technology that lets hybrid cars harvest energy from braking.
Recycling electronics is never easy, so it’s extremely helpful when electronics companies take it upon themselves to help out. Panasonic announced today that is creating a program in the United States to let consumers easily recycle Panasonic products free of charge. The program, which is scheduled to start November 1, … [continued]
Good news for governments looking to measure greenhouse gas emissions: a new sensor being developed by the VTT Technical Research Institute will be tiny (less than an inch), cost-effective, and twice as sensitive as current sensors.
A UK-based company called i-plas has invented a building material—also called i-plas—made from recycled plastic that could replace concrete, steel, and timber. I-plas can make use of any type of plastic waste except for PVC and thermoset.
Last month, Apple took a big step towards becoming environmentally-friendly by eliminating Brominated Flame Retardant (BFR) and polyvinylchloride (PVR) from its iPods. Now the company is taking another huge step with its notebook computers.
Finally, scientists have come up with a way to combine my two favorite things: music and sugar. Japanese researchers report in the latest issue of Energy and Environmental Science that they have created a biofuel cell that uses enzymes to break down sugars. Four of the cells combined produce 100 … [continued]
Trees: they’re good for more than just shade, harboring wildlife, and carbon storage. A new sensor system developed by Voltree Power uses the energy produced by trees to wirelessly transmit signals with information about forest fires.
