How Long Will Australia Be Livable?
As the country suffers through one of its worst droughts on record, and heat waves shatter temperature records not once but twice within the same summer week, some are asking whether Australians can afford to keep returning to the same parched, scorched landscapes.
Antarctica Melting: Climate Change And The Journey To The ‘Doomsday Glacier’
Icefin has reached the point at which the warm ocean water meets the wall of ice at the front of the mighty Thwaites glacier – the point where this vast body of ice begins to melt. Glaciologists have described Thwaites as the “most important” glacier in the world, the “riskiest” glacier, even the “doomsday” glacier.
Hicamp: Camping & Glamping Everywhere
Hicamp is an app that lets you book unique camping experiences on farms, ranches, vineyards and public parks across the country. Find undiscovered, one-of-a-kind camping destinations or visit tried and true staples.
There’s More Than One Way To Age. How Are You Doing It?
Most of us think we know what aging looks and feels like. It announces itself with wrinkled skin and gray, thinning hair. But scientists are cataloging far subtler signs of biological aging, evident long before hair is lost and skin starts to crinkle.
‘Light Is My New Drug’: The Actually Convincing Science Of Light Therapy
In recent years, research on light therapy has moved from the fringes of scientific discovery to something closer to the mainstream; its commercial uses are now following the same path, as these devices, once available only in spas, gyms, or dermatologists’ offices, become increasingly affordable for consumers.
The World’s Most Beautiful Homes Are Also Down To Earth
‘The Art of Earth Architecture: Past, Present, Future’ is both an informative global survey of buildings made from the technique—from ancient Egypt to today—and a call to action: Conventional construction is killing the planet, and we need to introduce more ecologically minded techniques into the fold.
Treasure Fever
Cape Canaveral contains one of the greatest concentrations of colonial shipwrecks in the world. The discovery of a legendary, lost shipwreck in North America has pitted treasure hunters and archaeologists against each other, raising questions about who should control sunken riches.
The Future’s Green For Copenhagen
Copenhagen has already earned its reputation as Europe’s capital of style and sustainability. Now the city is embarking on some of the world’s most ambitious architecture projects in a bid to become the greenest on earth.
What Happens To Your Body After You Die?
Whatever your beliefs, most people seem to agree that the body left behind when we depart this mortal coil is just a heap of bones and flesh. Assuming that nature is left to its own devices, our bodies undergo a fairly standard process of decomposition that can take anywhere from two weeks to two years.
How Air Conditioning Created The Modern City
The shopping mall would have been inconceivable without air conditioning, as would the deep-plan and glass-walled office block, as would computer servers. The expansion of tract housing in postwar suburban America relied on affordable domestic air conditioning units.
Solar-Powered Water Generator Extracts And Purifies Water From Air
Taiwanese startup Space Apes has designed a solar-powered, reusable and sustainable water generator that extracts, purifies and condenses water from the air to make it ready to drink. The unit produces between 11 and 15 liters of water a day, covering the drinking water needs of six to eight adults.
Alone On A Mountaintop, Awaiting A Very Hard Rain
Decades ago, Armenian scientists built a high-elevation trap to catch and study cosmic rays. Physics has mostly moved on, but the station persists — a ghost observatory with a skeleton crew.
Who Owns Antartica?
Ever since Roald Amundsen planted his flag on the South Pole, the issue of Antarctica’s ownership has been a thorny one. But in 1959, a pioneering deal was reached to preserve and help save the environment. This is the story and impact of the Antarctic Treaty and the pressures the continent still faces.
Are There Bacteria In Your Brain?
The brain is protected from the bacterial menagerie of the body by the blood-brain barrier, and is considered a sterile organ. Which made it all the more surprising when Rosalinda Roberts, along with Charlene Farmer and Courtney Walker, realized that the unknown objects in their slides were bacteria.
The End Of Farming?
Over the past 20 years or so, ad hoc coalitions of politicians, activists and conscience-stricken billionaires, have rewilded millions of acres of mostly failed agricultural and grazing land. Their guiding philosophy upends the long-dominant view that land should be cleared, plowed and wrung ever more efficiently for food.
Honeybee Venom Could Hold Secret To Treating Aggressive Breast Cancer
A young Australian scientist’s groundbreaking research has found honeybees could hold the secret to treating one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Dr Ciara Duffy, 25, found venom from the honeybee could kill cancer cells in just 60 minutes.
Thailand: Turning Straw Into Gold
Huge amounts of rice straw are left over after the harvest in Thailand. Farmers often burn it, which is terrible for the environment. A young entrepreneur has found a new use for the material. Turned into paper, it can replace plastic food packaging.
China Is Building An Artificial Sun
China has announced advancing plans for its nuclear fusion device known colloquially as an “artificial sun.” The extremely high temperatures of 360 million degrees Fahrenheit lead to the titular effect: literally, the nucleuses of two or more atoms are fused, and the process generates energy.
Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting
The reasons Detroit folks were submitting “no tree requests” were rooted in how they have historically interpreted their lived experiences in the city, or what a researcher calls “heritage narratives.”
The Drone Boat Of ‘Shipwreck Alley’
Divers flock from all over the world to see the wrecks for themselves each year — and last spring, they were joined by an unusual interloper: an autonomous boat named BEN. BEN is a self-driving boat that’s been tasked with making maps, and to help lay bare the long-lost secrets of the lakebed.
The Deep Ocean Is The Final Frontier On Planet Earth
Only three people have ever reached the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean. The deep is a world without sunlight, of freezing temperatures, and immense pressure. It’s remained largely unexplored until now. Cutting-edge technology is enabling a new generation of aquanauts to go deeper than ever before.