[social_buttons] The discovery of a tiny bowl-shaped molecule which collects carbon dioxide right out of the air has beckoned some creative solutions to global warming. By genetically engineering microbes to manufacture the handy molecule, scientists hope to make it useful as an industrial absorbent for CO2 capture. That could help … [continued]
Hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants are a “natural” cooler widely used in domestic and commercial refrigerators all over the world, except in the U.S. and Canada. HC refrigerants produce less greenhouse gasses than hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) technology, but they aren’t approved for the U.S. market – yet. Now Greenfreeze, the Greenpeace-developed HC refrigerant, … [continued]
The old saying “step on a crack, break your mother’s back” may not apply to sidewalks for much longer now that MIT researchers have figured out why concrete breaks down. As a result of the discovery, structures like buildings, bridges, and yes, sidewalks, could last for hundreds of years longer … [continued]
In a surprising find, scientists have discovered a microbe that can efficiently convert direct electrical current into methane. That may be good news for wind and solar power enthusiasts, who have long been faced with the dilemma of how to store energy when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun … [continued]
The lowly cattail is emerging as the weapon of choice against water contamination, and perhaps even global warming. In addition to its use in large phytoremediation projects to absorb contamination from groundwater and wetlands, the cattail could also work in on a small, inexpensive scale, helping to reduce arsenic contamination … [continued]
If you don’t know what DARPA is, you will soon. The Defense Advanced Research Group invented the internet back in 1969, and now it has set its sights on geoengineering a cure for global warming. What does that mean? For one thing, it means that a communications network originally designed … [continued]
Sometimes, the best solutions are the ones that nature gives us. Researchers at the University of Bristol in England think that one easy way to counteract global warming is to plant crops that reflect more sunlight. Plants reflect different amount of sunlight depending on their waxiness and growth patterns.
Rotterdam-based marine-engineering firm DK Group has been quietly testing one of the strangest-sounding technologies to come along in the recent past— a ship that floats on air. This past September, the company let loose a 272 foot long cargo vessel in Norway’s Oslo Fjord. 25 feet below the ship’s surface, … [continued]
The folks at General Electric Global Research have put together the first ever OLED Christmas tree. GE has a tradition of showcasing its most recent technology in an annual holiday gesture, this year choosing to demonstrate their roll-to-roll OLED fabrication that they unveiled last March. The tree was made by … [continued]
Lasers: They’re more than just fun toys. The European Space Agency (ESA) recently demonstrated how lasers can accurately measure atmospheric CO2 levels. The A-SCOPE (Advanced Space Carbon and Climate Observation of Planet Earth) space mission is one of six being considered by the agency.
