New Technology In China Turns Desert Into Land Rich With Crops
China was praised for a law it passed in 2002 — the world’s first integrated law dedicated to combating desert expansion. With this goal in mind, China has carried out several projects that have been successful, including at one desert in northern China.
Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Lost Notebook
In a journal with unlined 8-by-10 paper, Zuckerberg sketched his mission and product design and explored how a tiny company might become a vital utility for the world. In detail, he described features called Open Registration and Feed, two products that would supercharge his company.
The Man Who Drove McDonald’s Out Of Iceland
Tómas Tómasson’s all-American burger joint is so legendary in Iceland, it ousted McDonald’s from the country. It all began back in 1981 when the good folk of Reykjavík, Iceland still thought fish and chips was exotic foreign food. Along came Tommi and taught them to worship a new kind of sustenance: the mighty burger.
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.
Ashes To Ashes, Dust To… Compost? An Ecofriendly Burial In Just 4 Weeks
Also known as “natural organic reduction,” composting burial is the brainchild of Katrina Spade, CEO of alternative burial company Recompose. The process involves decomposition of the corpse in soil—but not within a traditional cemetery.
A Stunning 4K Timelapse Of The Gunhilde Maersk
A stunning 4K timelapse of container ship Gunhilde Maersk at sea from Ho-Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Ningbo, China and the incredible loading sequences at each port. A montage of over 78,000 5D Mk3 RAW files. Edited by Toby Smith to create a stunning day to night sequence in 4K.
Zaha Hadid Architects’ Giant Starfish-Shaped Airport Opens In Beijing
Zaha Hadid Architects has completed Beijing Daxing International Airport, a five-pronged building that is one of the largest passenger terminals in the world. Designed by the late Zaha Hadid and current studio principal Patrik Schumacher, the 700,000-square-metre airport to serve Beijing has been designed to be as compact as possible.
The Secret Soviet Radar Hidden In Chernobyl’s Shadow
In a remote forest, a few kilometres from the Chernobyl power plant, the huge Duga-2 radar tower stands as relic of Soviet mismanagement.
Europe’s Largest Green Façade Has Been Completed In Germany
Over 30,000 plants and 5 miles of hornbeam hedges cover the newly completed Kö-Bogen II commercial and office building by German architecture firm Ingenhoven Architects. Located in Düsseldorf, the verdant structure features Europe’s largest green façade.
The Internet Is Destroying Our Collective Attention Span
The length of time our “collective attention” is on any given event has grown shorter, and topics become popular and then drop out of public view at an accelerating rate. It’s no surprise if it feels harder and harder to dwell deeply on any topic.
Staring At A Digital Black Hole
On the morning of November 16, 2019, we, the exiled Iranians, woke up and like billions of other internet addicts in the world immediately checked our phones, only to realize that Iran had been cut off from the global internet.
Is The Hidden Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Ready To Open To The World?
The ‘hidden kingdom’ of Saudi Arabia has been mostly closed to journalists and travelers…until now. In a glitzy PR push, the country wants to promote itself as a tourist destination. Foreign Correspondent rides the magic carpet to extraordinary sites, thousands of years old, holding mysteries archaeologists are just beginning to uncover.
How Climate Change Is Shaping Business In Iceland
While Iceland as a whole is experiencing the negative effects of climate change stronger than many other nations, Finnafjord actually aims to profit from the changing climate. The construction of a large container port is supposed to turn Iceland into a new hub for international merchant shipping.
The Limits Of Clean Energy
Once we trade dirty fossil fuels for clean energy, there’s no reason we can’t keep expanding the economy forever. This narrative may seem reasonable enough at first glance, but there are good reasons to think twice about it. One of them has to do with clean energy itself.
How Leonardo Da Vinci Made A “Satellite” Map In 1502
When infamous Italian politician Cesare Borgia brought Leonardo da Vinci — the guy who drew this portrait — to the city of Imola, it was as a military engineer. When Leonardo was installed at Borgia’s newly acquired fort, one of his duties was to help Borgia learn the territory.
The Most Pessimistic Town In The World
Puolanka, a small town in the centre of Finland, had become famous for its particular brand of pessimism. Recurring themes are town’s declining population and lack of much to do.
National Geographic’s Best Pictures Of 2019
National Geographic’s 100 best images of the year-curated from 106 photographers, 121 stories, and more than two million photographs.
Vanishing Venice: The Sinking City Losing Its Soul
Italy’s “Floating City” is sinking under its sea level and the weight of mass tourism. Now residents of Venice are fighting to save it’s soul before it vanishes, as ABC News’ Samantha Hawley reports.
A Vision For Agriculture
Allowing cows out to harvest their own feed and spread their own manure is the most profitable means of producing meat and milk. But, somehow, agricultural science has encouraged farmers to mount a treadmill of increasing yields of milk or meat by increasing the amount of production per unit input.
Rising Tides, Troubled Waters: The Future Of Our Ocean
Ninety percent of the large fish that were here in the 1950s are now gone. One metric ton of plastic enters the ocean every four seconds. But the biggest problem, thanks largely to our insatiable appetite for fossil fuels, is that the ocean is heating up fast.
The Small Virginia Town Where Drone Deliveries Have Begun For Real
Wing, a subsidiary of Google, chose Christiansburg (population 22,500) as its first launching site for American commercial drone delivery operations — it’s also testing in Australia and Finland — not only because of the relatively flat terrain and low population density, but because of nearby Virginia Tech University.