Stories by David Biello

Geothermal Power Plants Face Rocky Starts

The technology that revitalized gas drilling could start an entirely new energy boom

We Could Make Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Real

At some point cloaked in the (recent) mists of time, Elon Musk took over the mantle of leading U.S. visionary, as is the prerogative apparently of our technology billionaires.

Is the U.S. Grid Better Prepared to Prevent a Repeat of the 2003 Blackout?

The nation’s electrical system has undergone some revamping--maybe still not enough--since tens of millions in the Northeast experienced a prolonged outage 10 years ago

Why Is the Boreal Forest Breathing CO2 More Deeply?

The flow of CO2 into and out of the vast northern forests has been increasing in recent years, thanks to climate change

How Long until We Have the Superhuman Exoskeletons from Elysium?

A roboticist-neuroscientist explains

Cultured Beef: Do We Really Need a $380,000 Burger Grown in Petri Dishes?

For the first time, the public has been treated to the spectacle of lab-grown meat cooked and eaten via live Webcast. Backed by Google billionaire Sergey Brin, Dutch tissue engineer Mark Post unveiled his “cultured beef” at a press event on August 5, answering the question posed by a 2011 Scientific American feature: “When Will [...]..

Can Farming Provide a Solution to Climate Change?

Farming is one of the few human activities that can pull CO2 from the atmosphere and store it safely

Fracking Could Help Geothermal Become a Power Player

Why isn't there more use of geothermal energy for power plants?

How to Survive as a Biofuel-Maker: Sell Algae to Bakers [Slide Show]

Algal biofuels remain a distant prospect, but oil from algae might prove to be a more sustainable food

A Republican Secretary of State Urges Action on Climate Change

Former Secretary of State George Shultz, who helped stop ozone depletion, describes the importance of energy security and the environment

U.S. Farmers View Climate Change as Just Another Weather Challenge

Why don't U.S. farmers believe in human-caused climate change?

On a Wing and a Sunbeam: Solar Plane Pilots Look to Circle the Globe

A solar-powered airplane successfully flew across the U.S. this year in 65 days. Next up: around the world

Injection Wells Spawn Powerful Earthquakes

New research shows how human activity deep underground combines with natural earthquakes far away to set off potent local temblors

Oil Sands May Irrevocably Tar the Climate

The fate of the Alberta's tar sands mines—and the climate—may come down to the Keystone XL pipeline

Are Pipelines Safer Than Railroads for Carrying Oil?

The glut of new oil in North America has been accompanied by a boom in moving that petroleum by train. Railway traffic of crude oil in tankers has more than doubled in volume since 2011—and such transport led to tragedy in the early hours of July 6...

Tar Sands No Worse than Other Oils for Pipeline Spills

The oil derived from Canada's tar sands is more acidic than other forms of petroleum. So does this mean that diluted bitumen (or "dilbit") is more corrosive when flowing through a pipeline?...

Obama Has a Plan for Climate, What If It Involves Tar Sands?

On a sweltering day in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama sweated as he laid out his new plan to combat climate change. In addition to the mandatory cuts in CO2 pollution from coal-fired power plants and the efforts to protect the country from the ravages of climate change highlighted by my colleague Mark Fischetti, Obama also found time to mention a little pipeline that would connect the tar sands in Alberta, Canada with refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas...

Will You or the Grid Control Your Electric Car?

Simply controlling where and when electric cars charge could go a long way to easing any spikes in electricity demand

Who Is Fooling Whom When It Comes to Combating Climate Change?

  Here's the scam. A Chinese company manufactures hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerant gases partially responsible for climate change. The gases can efficiently be turned into cash, either by using them in products like refrigerators or air conditioners or, more lucratively, by destroying them...

Pandora's Promise: The Triumph of Hope over Fear in Nuclear Power?