Science & Technology
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New EPA regulations target air, water, land and climate pollution from power plants, especially those that burn coal
Electric power generation in the U.S. is shifting rapidly away from fossil fuels toward cleaner and lower-carbon sources. State clean energy targets and dramatic declines in the cost of renewable electricity are the most important reasons.
But fossil fuel plants still generate 60% of the U.S. electricity supply, producing air, water ...Read more
Electric air taxis are on the way – quiet eVTOLs may be flying passengers as early as 2025
Imagine a future with nearly silent air taxis flying above traffic jams and navigating between skyscrapers and suburban droneports. Transportation arrives at the touch of your smartphone and with minimal environmental impact.
This isn’t just science fiction. United Airlines has plans for these futuristic electric air taxis in ...Read more
Climbers have turned Mount Everest into a high-altitude garbage dump, but sustainable solutions are within reach
Spring is go time for climbers who hope to summit Mount Everest, Earth’s highest peak above sea level. Hundreds of mountaineers from around the world travel to Asia in April and May, headed for base camps in Nepal and Tibet.
But jagged peaks won’t be the only thing they see. Especially on Everest’s more heavily traversed Nepal ...Read more
Review: ‘Tales of Kenzera: Zau’ translates the journey of grief into a video game
When crafting “Tales of Kenzera: Zau,” Abubakar Salim thought of his father who passed away from cancer 10 years ago. The founder of Surgent Studios said his father believed that dead is dead, and that he didn’t want his son to spend time dwelling on his end.
That didn’t happen. Salim established a game studio, gathering a team of 30 ...Read more
Jim Rossman: Cranking up iPhone security
There is a new feature in iOS called Stolen Device Protection. When enabled, it provides increased security requirements for certain actions when your phone is away from known locations, such as your home or your office.
These security enhancements should make it harder for someone who steals an iPhone and knows the user’s passcode to make ...Read more
Gadgets: A fully automated home brewing system
Beer lovers can make and drink their own unique beer with the new iGulu F1 fully automated home brewing system. The iGulu F1's brewing process uses automated technology to create high-quality craft beers and nonalcoholic drinks like kombucha.
The easy-to-use countertop appliance (13.5-by-14.5-by-20.5-inches), which iGulu states is as easy to ...Read more
Tire toxicity faces fresh scrutiny after salmon die-offs
For decades, concerns about automobile pollution have focused on what comes out of the tailpipe. Now, researchers and regulators say, we need to pay more attention to toxic emissions from tires as vehicles roll down the road.
At the top of the list of worries is a chemical called 6PPD, which is added to rubber tires to help them last longer. ...Read more
An artificial mind, with a lifelike body: Amid a world of evolving AI, a Las Vegas man brings his creations to life
You wanna see her move? I think that’s the fun part.
The room is thick with anticipation and fabricated skulls.
She’s gonna wake up. Give her a second.
Matt McMullen eyes his creation as her eyes flutter open in return, her gaze settling upon all the disembodied faces and mechanical mandibles surrounding her in this workshop where fake ...Read more
Tech review: Tech gifts for your graduate
It is high school (and college) graduation time and that usually means some gift-giving.
I’ve got a few gift ideas for your graduates that will be welcomed whether they’re headed off to college or still trying to figure out what’s next.
Here are three gadgets, and oddly, two of them are named Flow.
Tribit Stormbox Flow
I think ...Read more
Editorial: Greens eye the Autobahn with floated ban on weekend driving in Germany
Warnings about the agenda of global warming alarmists can seem far-fetched. But consider what’s happening in Germany.
A recent German governing coalition set a national goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. Nevada has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To many, that sounds worthwhile — at least until you learn the details.
...Read more
NASA does Dragon shuffle prepping for Starliner launch
Parking is at a premium at the International Space Station, but NASA and SpaceX cleared out one spot as a cargo Dragon spacecraft completed its trip home with a splashdown off the Florida coast early Tuesday.
NASA still needs to shift the remaining Dragon spacecraft from its spot to clear the path for next week’s launch of Boeing’s CST-100 ...Read more
Does social media rewire kids' brains? Here's what the science really says
America’s young people face a mental health crisis, and adults constantly debate how much to blame phones and social media. A new round of conversation has been spurred by Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation,” which contends that rising mental health issues in children and adolescents are the result of social media replacing ...Read more
Canny as a crocodile but dumber than a baboon -- new research ponders T. rex's brain power
In December 2022, Vanderbilt University neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel published a paper that caused an uproar in the dinosaur world.
After analyzing previous research on fossilized dinosaur brain cavities and the neuron counts of birds and other related living animals, Herculano-Houzel extrapolated that the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex ...Read more
Wildlife officials confirm fourth gray wolf attack in Colorado´s Grand County
DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a fourth gray wolf depredation in Grand County on Sunday, according to the confirmed gray wolf depredation information.
The incident involved one calf and no claim has been submitted.
CPW defines gray wolf depredation as physical trauma that results in injury or death to a domestic animal. ...Read more
Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
Why are some people faster than others? – Jon, age 14, Macon, Georgia
Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest human, ran a 100-meter sprint at a speed of 23.35 miles per hour (37...Read more
Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US
Dozens of tornadoes hit the central U.S. April 26-28, 2024, tearing through suburbs and small towns and damaging hundreds of homes from Oklahoma to Nebraska and Iowa.
Spring is tornado season in the U.S., but the tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa were quite a bit farther north and east of what would be typical for tornadoes in late April...Read more
Commentary: America's 'big glass' dominance hangs on the fate of two powerful new telescopes
More than 100 years ago, astronomer George Ellery Hale brought our two Pasadena institutions together to build what was then the largest optical telescope in the world. The Mount Wilson Observatory changed the conception of humankind’s place in the universe and revealed the mysteries of the heavens to generations of citizens and scientists ...Read more
A Flamingo flock inspires hope. Have the rare birds returned to the Everglades for good?
For the last century, flamingos in Florida were more likely to be spotted on T-shirts and cups in a souvenir shop than flapping around in the wild.
Then last summer, a flock of the rare and beautiful birds — a group is fittingly known as a “flamboyance” of flamingos — was blown to Florida on the fierce winds of Hurricane Idalia.
Eight ...Read more
World War II-era ship docked in Alameda testing tool to combat global warming
The flight deck of a decommissioned World War II-era aircraft carrier docked at Alameda has recently begun launching something other than airplanes: microscopic droplets of salt water that scientists hope will help counteract the effects of climate change.
A team of atmospheric scientists from the University of Washington has teamed up with ...Read more
Red Sea diversions spew carbon emissions equal to 9 million cars
Ships seeking to avoid ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea area are emitting millions of additional tons of carbon, making it tougher for companies using ocean freight to reduce pollution across their supply chains.
Instead of passing through Egypt’s Suez Canal, hundreds of vessels since mid-December are sailing around South ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up?
- Jim Rossman: Cranking up iPhone security
- New EPA regulations target air, water, land and climate pollution from power plants, especially those that burn coal
- Review: ‘Tales of Kenzera: Zau’ translates the journey of grief into a video game
- Electric air taxis are on the way – quiet eVTOLs may be flying passengers as early as 2025