Archive for the 'Environment' Category
The US Military Is Genetically Engineering New Life Forms To Detect Enemy Subs
December 3rd, 2018Via: Defense One: How do you detect submarines in an expanse as large as the ocean? The U.S. military hopes that common marine microorganisms might be genetically engineered into living tripwires to signal the passage of enemy subs, underwater vessels, or even divers. It’s one of many potential military applications for so-called engineered organisms, a […]
Old Coal Mines Can be ‘Perfect’ Underground Food Farms
December 3rd, 2018Via: BBC: Abandoned coal mines across the UK could be brought back to life as huge underground farms, according to academics. Mine shafts and tunnels are seen as “the perfect environment” for growing food such as vegetables and herbs. The initiative is seen as a way of providing large-scale crop production for a growing global […]
China ‘Is the Only One in the Race’ to Make Electric Buses, Taxis and Trucks
December 3rd, 2018“Chinese makers produced 99% of electric buses deployed globally from 2014 to 2017.” Via: Wall Street Journal: A national project to replace millions of gasoline-fueled taxis, buses and trucks with new electric models is boosting China’s ambitions to lead the global shift to battery-powered transportation. Signs of progress can already be found on American, as […]
Strange Seismic Waves That Rippled Around World Leave Scientists Bewildered
November 29th, 2018Via: Independent: Just before 9.30am on Sunday 11 November, a series of unusual seismic pulses rippled around the world almost undetected. The waves rang for over 20 minutes, emanating about 15 miles off the shores of Mayotte – a tiny island in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Africa. From here, they reverberated across Africa, […]
Rivian R1T All-Electric Pickup Truck
November 29th, 2018I’ve mostly stopped posting about future electric vehicles (you can’t even shake a stick at all the announcements), but the Rivian R1T is particularly interesting. Days before the Rivian R1T was officially announced, Elon Musk said that Tesla will be bringing their pickup to market much sooner than previously indicated. It’s easy to see why, […]
Seaweed Could Drastically Cut Methane Emissions from Cows
November 24th, 2018Via: MIT Technology Review: There’s growing momentum behind the seaweed approach, thanks to almost shockingly effective results in initial scientific studies. In 2014, Australian researchers found that low doses of a red algae known as Asparagopsis taxiformis virtually eliminated methane production in lab experiments. Field trials with live sheep cut emissions as much as 80%, […]
Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water
November 5th, 2018Via: Bloomberg: Water tests show that 110 million Americans have levels of PFAS in their water that the most cautious scientists call unsafe, according to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization that advocates for public health issues. At the same time, new studies show how the chemicals can cause harm even at tiny doses. […]
Microplastics Found in 90 Percent of Table Salt
October 19th, 2018Via: National Geographic: Microplastics were found in sea salt several years ago. But how extensively plastic bits are spread throughout the most commonly used seasoning remained unclear. Now, new research shows microplastics in 90 percent of the table salt brands sampled worldwide. Of 39 salt brands tested, 36 had microplastics in them, according to a […]
Sperm Counts Continue to Fall
October 14th, 2018Via: The Atlantic: Men’s sperm have been decreasing in number and getting worse at swimming for some time now—and, at least in the United States and Europe, new research says it’s getting worse. A pair of new studies unveiled this week at the Scientific Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in Denver […]
Electric Cars Exceed 1 Million in Europe as Sales Increase by 42%
August 28th, 2018Via: Guardian: There are now more than a million electric cars in Europe after sales soared by more than 40% in the first half of the year, new figures reveal. Europe hit the milestone nearly a year after China, which has a much larger car market, but ahead of the US, which is expected to […]
