The algae floating in the sea are microscopic plants of great consequence on a global level. They conduct a big chunk of the world's photosynthesis (turning sunlight into chemical energy); they control the carbon cycle (taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away), and they form the base of the ocean's food pyramid, allowing other plants and animals to flourish...
The U.S. oil business has been using carbon dioxide to pump extra oil out of reservoirs for 36 years--and permanently storing some CO2 in the process
In recent years, the U.S. Navy has come under fire because of training exercises involving sonar that whale-lovers charge is deafening marine mammals and, in some cases, leading to their deaths by disrupting their communications and sending them astray...
Burying greenhouse gas may be the only way to avoid a climate change catastrophe
Forget the Russians moving troops north of the Arctic circle to protect "vital interests," even U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recognizes that the rules for the poles have changed...
From the North Sea to Texas, this slide show looks at existing technology to take the carbon dioxide out of coal burning and other fossil fuel use
Capturing carbon dioxide may be the only hope to avoid a climate change catastrophe from burning fossil fuels
There are some 82,000 chemicals used commercially in the U.S., but only a fraction have been tested to make sure they're safe and just five are regulated by the U.S.
As home biodiesel brewers know, it's a time-consuming and chemically intensive process to transform French fry grease into a fuel. And then there's the problem of burning something in your truck that could have fed people; canola oil can be used for food or fuel, for example...
A new strain of a devastating fungus could impact wheat crops the world over--and scientists are scrambling to nip it in the bud
More energy-efficient light-emitting diodes are rapidly becoming the preferred lighting solution worldwide
Use of new video meeting systems is already reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from planes, trains and automobiles
More energy-efficient buildings are the cheapest, fastest way to reduce energy demand--and the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change
The 2009 M.I.T. Energy Conference included solar, small wind, cellulosic biofuels and, oh my... better batteries, fuel cells, nukes and algae!
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.—By 2030, the people of the world will be driving as many as two billion cars—up from 700 million today—according to John Viera, director of sustainable business strategies for Ford Motor Company...
Ocean acidification is taking a toll on tiny shell-building animals
Does the world really need the ability to trap carbon dioxide before it invisibly billows from power plant smokestacks or out car tailpipes and bury it permanently to slow global warming?...
It's pretty hard to milk a wild mare. So researchers attempting to determine whether ancient Botai in northern Kazakhstan had domesticated horses tested their pottery for evidence that they were as fond as their modern descendants of mare's milk (you can see [ left ] a modern mare being milked by a Kazakh woman)...
The urge to buy the latest gadget and to reform environmental misbehavior may be the twin pillars of 21st century American youth culture, but can the two ever be reconciled?
Already a subscriber? Sign in.