Energy conversion

This Giant Vibrator Could Somehow Be the Future of Wind Power

Picture a long, white rod. The rod has a smooth, curved head. Is your heart rate speeding up? The rod is undulating at a quick but steady pace. It’s moving back and forth. Are you sweating? Now imagine the rod is big. Like, really big. Like, 10 feet (3 meters) long. And now imagine it’s…

Energy Dharna Noor Mar 22

Screenshot: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory via Youtube

The Pentagon Sent a Pizza Box-Sized Solar Panel Into Space, But I’m Sure Everything Is Fine

Here is a completely normal and totally not-nefarious thing that is happening: Scientists from the Pentagon sent a solar panel about the size of a pizza box up to space to test if it’s possible to send extraterrestrial electricity back to Earth. This solar panel is officially called the Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module (PRAM), and…

Energy Dharna Noor Feb 25

Photo: Courtesy Digital Empath Studios via WeSolar

Kristal Hansley Wants to Empower Black Baltimore With Solar Energy

Where I live in Baltimore, utility bills can be a crushing burden. That’s especially true for the city’s low-income residents, most of whom are Black. A 2020 study found that a quarter of low-income households here spent more than 21.7% of their 2017 income on energy, which is more than seven times higher than the…

Environmental Justice Dharna Noor Feb 23

Viral Image Claiming to Show a Helicopter De-Icing Texas Wind Turbines Is From Winter 2014 in Sweden

In the midst of a record cold snap where Texas’ grid has failed to meet demand, misinformation is running rampant. Among the most pernicious memes propagating online are that Texas’ wind turbines have frozen and that that has led to the blackout. Conservatives have zoomed in on a particular idea that helicopters are being dispatched…

Earther Brian Kahn Feb 16

Mini Nuclear Reactor at Government Lab Shut Down After Radiation Leak

A small-scale nuclear reactor at a government neutron research facility was shut down last week after it began to spew elevated amounts of ionizing radiation. No employees received dangerous doses of radiation, according to officials, who are now devising a plan to determine the cause of the leak. The incident happened on February 3 at…

Physics & Chemistry George Dvorsky Feb 10

Amazon Is Creating an Empire of Trash

Amazon has been making a mint during the pandemic. That business has resulted in multi-billion dollar pay days for the company’s soon-to-be former CEO, and millions of the company’s iconic cardboard boxes being left on doorsteps, and in lobbies and mailboxes every day. And when those piles of boxes climb higher, the cost they carry continues…

Earther Shoshana Wodinsky Feb 10

The U.S. Approves Permit for the ‘Proving Ground for the Future of Wave Energy’

The Trump administration ended with a series of last-minuteenvironmental rollbacks. But the day before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Trump’s Department of the Interior also, bizarrely, snuck in what could be a big win for renewable energy. On Monday, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Management finalized a lease for Oregon State University’s PacWave South center…

Energy Dharna Noor Jan 21

This Giant Vibrator Could Somehow Be the Future of Wind Power

The Pentagon Sent a Pizza Box-Sized Solar Panel Into Space, But I’m Sure Everything Is Fine

Kristal Hansley Wants to Empower Black Baltimore With Solar Energy

Viral Image Claiming to Show a Helicopter De-Icing Texas Wind Turbines Is From Winter 2014 in Sweden

Mini Nuclear Reactor at Government Lab Shut Down After Radiation Leak

Amazon Is Creating an Empire of Trash

The U.S. Approves Permit for the ‘Proving Ground for the Future of Wave Energy’

‘Good Omens’ Season 3 Is Still Just One Episode, Despite Being Called That

Steam Gaming Has Arrived on Apple Vision Pro, and It’s Unexpectedly Glorious

RFK Jr. Will Take on Joe Rogan for Podcaster Supremacy

The Spymaster’s Guide to the Secret Agencies of ‘Star Trek’

Uber Is Testing Driverless Volkswagen ID. Buzz Vans in Los Angeles

Cast Adrift, Meta Employees Have No Idea Who the ‘Token Legend’ Is Anymore

Microsoft Office 2024 and Windows 11 Pro Bundle Hits 76% Off, a Complete PC Setup for Less

You Can Add ‘Lamp That Folds Your Laundry’ to the List of Doomed Startups

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Let us help find what you are looking for...