Topics: Energy, Environment, Modern Physics, Nuclear Fusion, Nuclear Power More than a decade ago, the world’s most energetic laser started to unleash its blasts on tiny capsules of hydrogen isotopes, with managers promising it would soon demonstrate a route to limitless fusion energy. Now, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has taken a major leap toward thatContinue reading “Nearing Ignition…”
Category Archives: Environment
Survival of Community…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Climate Change, COVID-19, Environment, Existentialism Like his more famous contemporary, Spencer was enamored with the idea of evolution. But where Darwin focused on biology, Spencer imagined that evolutionary thinking could be applied much more broadly. In his mind, it governed entire societies. Today, when Spencer is remembered at all, it is usuallyContinue reading “Survival of Community…”
The Caveat of Cul De Sacs…
Topics: Climate Change, Economics, Environment, Existentialism, Global Warming The finding comes out of an effort to map where vegetation is emitting and soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Earth’s trees and plants pull vast amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere during photosynthesis, incorporating some of that carbon into structures like wood. AreasContinue reading “The Caveat of Cul De Sacs…”
Ransomware, and Biofuels…
Topics: Biology, Biofuels, Climate Change, Dark Side, Economics, Environment The carbon footprint of corn ethanol shrunk by 23% between 2005 and 2019 as farmers and ethanol producers adopted new technologies and improved efficiency, according to a new analysis published in the academic journal Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.Continue reading “Ransomware, and Biofuels…”
Recycled Plastics, Sustainable Fabrics…
Topics: Ecology, Environment, Green Tech, Materials Science Polyethylene is one of the most common plastics in the world, but it is seldom found in clothing because it cannot absorb or carry away water. (Imagine wearing a plastic bag – you would feel very uncomfortable very quickly.) Now, however, researchers in the US have developed aContinue reading “Recycled Plastics, Sustainable Fabrics…”
Argonne, Assemble…
Topics: Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Existentialism, Global Warming, Green Tech Thankfully, we’re not. Hat tip to Marvel, and Rotten Tomatoes. Scientists aren’t superheroes. Or are they? Superheroes defend the defenseless and save humanity from any number of disasters, both natural and unnatural, often using powers of logic and some really hip techno-gadgets. The Earth isContinue reading “Argonne, Assemble…”
Measure of Our Impact…
Topics: Civics, Climate Change, Environment, Existentialism It’s not just your storage unit that’s packed to the gills. According to a new study, the mass of all our stuff—buildings, roads, cars, and everything else we manufacture—now exceeds the weight of all living things on the planet. And the amount of new material added every week equalsContinue reading “Measure of Our Impact…”
Physics and Nano 