The Middle East Is Going Green while Supplying Oil to Others
The world’s green spotlight is tilting towards the Middle East as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prepare to host the next two major world summits on climate change.…
NASA Is Studying a Private Mission to Boost Hubble’s Orbit. Is It Worth the Risk?
For more than three decades, the Hubble Space Telescope has been breaking new ground in astronomy, cosmology and planetary science, delivering results that few if any other facilities can match—let…
More African-Led Research on Adaptation Will Help the Continent Survive Climate Change
In the language of climate change, we often talk about mitigation—how we can reduce harmful gases in the atmosphere that cause global warming. But there is another pressing climate concept,…
Smartphones can reveal whether bridges are about to fall down
The accelerometers in our smartphones collect information as we travel over bridges, and this can reveal if the structure is weakening and help us know when to fix it to…
Why the US military could replace spy satellites with solar planes
The US military has spent billions of dollars on spy satellites and supersonic surveillance aircraft, but now it seems to be focusing on slow, lightweight solar-powered planes to do the…
Most ‘home compostable’ plastic doesn’t break down in garden bins
By Madeleine Cuff Compostable plastic that has not fully disintegrated in a compost bin www.bigcompostexperiment.org.uk (CC BY) Most compostable plastics labelled as suitable for home composting don’t break down properly…
Gel-based encryption can only be unlocked with key of light and heat
A chemical gel can reveal a secret sequence of numbers if given the right “password” – a combination of heat, light and water. The technology could be used to prevent…
Chinese Rocket Will Crash to Earth on November 5: Here’s What We Know
The core stage of yet another Chinese Long March 5B rocket is set to tumble uncontrollably back to Earth this week after delivering the third and final module to China’s…
The World Isn’t Adapting to Climate Change Quickly Enough, U.N. Says
The world is doing far too little to prepare for the impacts of a warming planet, even as climate-fueled storms, floods, heat waves and drought become more extreme. That’s the…
What to Do if You’re Trapped in a Surging Crowd
A Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, resulted in a deadly crush on October 29. That Saturday night, tens of thousands of people converged on Itaewon—a district of the city…