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The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranked Germany first and Mexico last in a rating of major economies and energy efficiency. 

From our spiral shape to the heavy elements expelled in supernovae, our galaxy’s gravity reveals far more than we see. “I think if I had to choose, I would rather […]

The scariest of all possible fates results in the ultimate destruction of everything that ever was or will be. Image credit: Boren-Simon 2.8–8 ED POWERNEWT Astrograph Image Gallery. “Why do […]

If something went horribly wrong, could you possibly return to Earth? Image credit: ISRO. “I sometimes catch myself looking up at the Moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our […]

Bestselling author Daniel H. Pink explains that just because fewer people occupy job positions called “salesperson” doesn’t mean members of the workforce are doing any less selling.

We have developed a world economy that is increasingly dependent on our information and communication technologies, says former NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen. That’s why the crux of our future welfare depends on the development of advanced cybersecurity.

Renewable energy startup Glint Photonics has created a new material that, when used to cover photovoltaic cells on solar panels, can capture more energy with less infrastructure.

Combining alcoholic drinks with caffeine causes people to drink more for a variety of reasons, say psychological researchers from several American universities.

The Universe we see isn’t exactly the Universe that is. How do we translate? “On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in […]

NASA represents a full 50% of the world’s expenditures on space science & exploration. What should we expect from it? “This Administration has never really faced up to where we […]

Is innovation always a good thing? In the right hands, the myriad tech innovations on the immediate horizon could help solve humanity’s most pressing problems. In the wrong hands, change could lead to struggle.

The early Universe consisted of atoms, but 99.999999% of them were Hydrogen and Helium. Where’d the rest come from? “A physicist is just an atom’s way of looking at itself.” […]

How the Cosmic Microwave Background — the Big Bang’s leftover radiation glow — continues to shed light on the birth of our Universe. Image credit: ESA and the Planck Collaboration. The announcement of the […]

It might not sound impressive, but the physics behind it — and the power of its applications — are literally world-changing. Image credit: Orphek LEDs, via http://orphek.com/about/aquarium-led-lighting/. “Everyone must leave something behind when he […]

Sure, they wiped out the dinosaurs, but do they really pose a risk to humans? “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind […]

Big News! Climate change makes news! There’s sustained, high-profile coverage in the major media this week, prompted by the UN Climate summit in New York. It’s great news that climate change is making news. But it’s also sad, because as soon as the events are over, coverage will fade away, at least until the next meeting, or the next violent weather event, or the next political controversy stirred up by those still trying to promote doubt. 

Here on Earth, it’s liquid all the way. But in space, that’s impossible! “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”–Rabindranath Tagore If you brought […]

Perhaps our energies are better spent on trying to live better rather than trying to live longer.

“The first step — especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money — the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art.”

ABC News Correspondent Dan Harris explains why someone who tells you they’re a good multitasker is lying. In fact, what we perceive as multitasking is really just “doing many things poorly”

The Norwegian town of Lillestrøm recently undertook an experiment that demonstrated the economic value of emission-free transportation by giving cash to its citizens.

Entering the market for personal health trackers is Cue – an affordable, user friendly mini-lab that allows you to test five important molecules in your body indicating fertility, influenza, testosterone, […]

Forget nine lives; if one interpretation of quantum mechanics is right, the cat might have an infinite number of them. Observers are the necessary, but unliked, bouncers in the elegant […]

All the stars in the night sky are bound in the Milky Way galaxy, just one of billions in the Universe. Here’s the story of where they come from. “The […]

While 2015 gives us all a fresh start, we can consider the Big Bang until today to be “One Universe Year.” What comes next? “And now we welcome the new […]

How the entire history of the Universe gave rise to us, in ten giant leaps. Image credit: Zosia Rostomian, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “It surprises me how disinterested we are […]

Saw “Solar System Questions” by xkcd? Here’s what science thinks it knows. “Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together. […]

Our Milky Way is only the second-largest galaxy in our local group. Take an interactive dive into the biggest! “He who would search for pearls must dive below.” –John Dryden […]

Luis von Ahn describes the model for the free language-learning platform, Duolingo. The idea, he says, goes back to his childhood, where he imagined a model for a gymnasium that […]

For most of human history, it’s been recognized that we tend to follow the path of least resistance. We go to comical lengths to avoid work of even the most trivial sort.