By Roberto Guerra, Sustainable Brands There is immense potential for sustainable innovation in the ever-growing space economy — in ways that could bring the industry’s own impacts, and an infinite source of solar power, back down to Earth. Ever since the Soviets launched the first satellite into outer space on October 4, …
I Discovered a Way to Identify the Millions of Species on Earth After a Lightbulb Moment in the Supermarket
By Paul Hebert, The Guardian I developed DNA barcoding in my back yard using a UV light and a white sheet to collect the moths of my childhood. I believe it could help discover all life on the planet. As a child, I used to roam the countryside collecting moths …
How Do You Stop a Glacier From Melting? Put Up an Underwater Curtain.
By Robin McKie, Grist A 62-mile-long curtain moored to the Amundsen Sea bed in Antarctica could prevent catastrophic flooding elsewhere, scientists say. Scientists are working on an unusual plan to prevent Antarctic glaciers from melting. They want to build a set of giant underwater curtains in front of ice sheets …
Scientists Develop Artificial Worm Gut to Break Down Plastics
By Nanyang Technological University, Phys.Org A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed an artificial worm gut to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem. By feeding worms with plastics and cultivating microbes found in their guts, researchers …
Nine States, Including California and New York, Sign Heat Pump Agreement to Clean Up Air Pollution
By Justine Calma, The Verge Getting heat pumps into homes and buildings can cut down pollution and fight climate change. A heat pump is installed on the first floor among many AC units at the New York City Housing Authority’s Woodside Houses in Queens, New York.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales …
How a Rare Earth Facility in Canada Wants to Clean Up the Dirty Side of Green Energy
By John Lorinc, Corporate Knights The plant in Saskatchewan won’t just showcase less environmentally damaging processes. It also wants to take a bite out of a supply chain dominated by China. At some point this year, in an unprepossessing 120,000-square-foot box on the outskirts of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, technicians will flip …
MIT Researchers Have Discovered a Remarkable New Way to Clean Up Air Pollution — By Starting With Our Oceans
By Brett Aresco, Yahoo Tech from The Cool Down Carbon capture — commonly thought of as the use of technology to remove carbon dioxide from the air — is a hotly debated topic. Though the U.S. Department of Energy committed $131 million to various carbon capture projects, opponents claim that focus on carbon capture …
Can You Make a Wind Farm Out of Wood? Meet the Swedish Start-Up Making Clean Energy Even Greener
By Angela Symons, Euronews This Swedish start-up is making wind towers from wood and slashing CO2 emissions. Wind power is a major piece of the puzzle in decarbonising the grid. But the giant constructions usually rely on carbon-intensive materials like steel. Swedish start-up Modvion is channelling Scandi design to combat …
The EPA’s New Methane Rule Includes an Innovative Way to Stop ‘Super Emitters’
By Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Grist Satellites and aircraft will help oil-and-gas watchdogs find and report large leaks. Scientists with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were flying a plane equipped with a visible-infrared imaging spectrometer over an oil field in California’s San Joaquin Valley when they made a worrisome discovery. Images produced …
New Research Reveals ‘Shocking’ Information About Everyday Lawn Equipment: ‘It’s Really Counterintuitive’
By Rick Kazmer, The Cool Down “Battery technology has come a long way.” The old adage, “big things come in small packages,” unfortunately holds true for engine pollution. Research reported on by Grist found that lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and weed eaters can produce more air pollution than much larger, gas-guzzling vehicles — even more than …