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Scientists find first herd of genetically pure bison in Utah

Research has confirmed that Henry Mountains of southern Utah are home to a rare, genetically pure bison herd. This is the only genetically pure bison herd we know of, after all other surviving members of the species were crossbred with cattle. The team that confirmed their genetic heritage included Utah State University scientists. Dr. Johan du Toit, […]

Largest gas leak in history taking place in California

In what is likely the most underrated disaster of the year, a massive natural gas leak is taking place in Aliso Canyon, California, about 25 miles north of Los Angeles. The leak has been spewing about 62 million standard cubic feet of methane per day into the atmosphere after a well was mysteriously damaged on October 23 […]

Emergency declared in Brazil after 2400 babies born with brain damage

Thousands of babies are being born with brain damage due to a mosquito-borne virus.

New sugar polymer can purify water in seconds

Scientists have developed a new polymer that can clean water of tiny impurities and pollutants in a matter of seconds. This could revolutionize the water purification industry, not only saving numerous lives, but saving a lot of money and energy in the process. The team was led by Will Dichtel from Cornell University in the US. […]

NASA's Top 15 ISS Pictures of 2015

NASA just released their famous pictures taken from the International Space Station in 2015. The images were shot by astronauts aboard the ISS and the list was selected by NASA Johnson Space Center’s Earth Observations team. It wasn’t an easy job with many bedazzling photos fighting for the top positions. 1. Lake Chad and a Bodele Dust […]

Rare footage of Giant Squid captured in Japan

Japanese television has released extremely rare footage of a giant squid swimming in the Sea of Japan.

The world's first website is now 25

Some 25 years ago, on December 1990, Tim Berners-Lee, then a scientist at the CERN facility in Switzerland launched what was the world’s first website – the forefather of everything that we today call ‘The Internet’. The first website Hosted by the World Wide Web (you know, the “www”) on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer, the site was […]

Ski slopes fail to recover even after 40 years

Ski slopes (runs) are an environmental bane, as more and more studies are beginning to show. Even after 40 years of abandonment, the environment still fails to recover on the graded slopes.

Red Deer Cave bones point to unexpected survival of human ancestors

Partial femur bones found in the renowned Red Deer Cave seems to show that other species of humans overlapped with our own species during the ice age.

Wooden alternatives to green up your Christmas Tree

I’ve already written an article about the best ways to green up your Christmas tree, so I really recommend you start from there. But if you want some more creative, out of the box eco-friendly alternatives, this is the place for you! Just in case you’re wondering why I’m against ‘traditional’ artificial trees: they’re made […]

We're in December, but Washington's flowers and trees are blooming

There’s almost no need to say it again – it’s been an exceptionally warm December, and an exceptionally warm year. In fact, it’s been the hottest year on record, with 7 of 11 months so far breaking the record. Things aren’t very different in the capital of the US, where temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees […]

Toxic mud reaches the Atlantic in one of the worst environmental disasters in history

A month ago, millions of gallons of toxic mining waste burst into the environment following a dam break in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Since then, the sludge has left behind a 500 mile (800 km) trail of polluted rivers and banks, ultimately reaching the Atlantic Ocean and marking Brazil’s worst environmental disaster in […]

New Zealand opens marine reserve for oil exploration and seismic testing

In a world class display of hypocrisy, after opening up the world’s largest marine sanctuary and vowing to reduce fossil fuel subsidies, the New Zealand government has opened up a marine reserve of the world’s rarest dolphin for oil exploration – most significantly, seismic surveys. The Maui dolphin is the world’s rarest, with under 60 […]

Australian government spends $1 billion to keep Hep C drug cheap

The Australian government wants to eliminate hepatitis C within one generation - a 'miracle drug' with a price tag of $100,000 will be provided at a cost of only $37.70

Costa Rica just ran 99% on renewable energy in 2015

Almost all of Costa Rica’s energy came from renewable sources in 2015, making it one of the few countries to achieve virtual independence from fossil fuels. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced that the country achieved “99 percent renewable electricity generation” this year, running 100% renewable in 285 days so far. The bulk of the […]

Dogs like sharing with friends, new study finds

Sharing and other voluntary acts of kindness are what we regard as part of our humanity – but this type of behavior exists in other creatures as well. Now, scientists working in Austria have shown for the first time that dogs exhibit prosocial behavior, if they know the other dogs. Different types of personality have […]

Canadian company starts selling bottled air in China

It's finally happening - they're selling air, and the Chinese are buying it.

November 2015 was by far the hottest on record

2015 is set to be the hottest year on record as November smashed previous records, being 1.75 degrees Fahrenheit (0.97 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average. As if that wasn’t enough, 7 of the first 11 months of the year broke the record, according to reports by both NOAA and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. […]

Landslide fatalities continue at Burma jade mines

The annus horribilis continued at the jade mines in Myanmar, as another major landslide was announced, with at least one fatality and ten people missing.

There is no 'Nazi Train', Polish geophysicists find

This summer in Poland, two treasure hunters discovered what they believe was a WWII Nazi train filled with treasure, in a buried tunnel. Poland’s Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski said authorities were led to the spot and that he was 99% convinced that the treasure had been located. But according to scientists Krakow’s AGH University of Science […]

This glacier produces half a million ice quakes a year

Somewhere in the Arctic, in the interior of the Greenland ice sheets, there lies a glacier like no other. This glacier quakes once every minute, more frequently than ever observed. Geologists now believe that studying these ice quakes could help them better understand how ice melts and reacts to rising temperatures and better model ice flow. […]

Brain scans help researchers develop better condoms

It’s no secret that when it comes to condoms, the pleasure factor plays a big role – some people simply don’t want to use condoms because it diminishes their pleasure. With that in mind, researchers from Australia are now working to create condoms that feel just like bare skin… or even better! This year, over […]

Three astronauts docked the Space Station

For the first time in history, the UK has a representative on the International Space Station. This morning, British astronaut Tim Peake made his first visit to the station, alongside two seasoned: Russia’s Yuri Malenchenko and NASA’s Tim Kopra. It was a flawless launch, as you can see below. Malechenko had to take manual control after the automated […]

Scientists develop "hydricity" - new type of hybrid renewable energy

If we want to transition to a carbon free economy, renewable energy has to be pivotal – but no matter how you look at the problem, the bottom line is always the same: efficiency. Solar only generates energy when the sun is up, the same goes for wind… there’s a big reliability issue. With this […]

How the world will look like according to DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a United States agency responsible for developing new technologies, mostly with military applications. They work with advanced prosthetics, holograms, robots, drones, and more robots. They’re at the cutting edge of technology, and I’d bet quite a few pints that they have groundbreaking classified projects. Now, in a new […]

Reactions to the Paris Climate Deal

A crucial date, or another point in a long line of failures? History will certainly judge the Paris Climate Agreement, but until then, reactions to it have generally been positive. It’s a monumental achievement, if only for being unanimously supported. I found remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry to be highly relevant: “For […]

The one word that almost ruined climate negotiations

The agreement in Paris is not a cure for the world’s environmental problems, but it’s definitely more than a band-aid. It provides a framework on which to build future global and national efforts, but one word came close to ruining everything. Visibly exhausted, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius cracked a smile – probably the first […]

Historic climate agreement reached in Paris

After two weeks of marathon negotiations, hundreds of presentations and dozens of press conferences, 195 countries unanimously approved an acord that will ultimately eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels, limiting global warming to 2ºC, with an incremental goal of 1.5ºC. For better or for worse, it’s the first global climate accord after two decades of […]

Scientists assess the COP21 draft

With only hours remaining on the COP21 negotiations, there’s a good chance the draft we got to see yesterday will be final – with some small tweaks perhaps. Opinions have been mixed, but mostly negative about this particular draft; sure, it’s important that we get a final draft on which all parties agree, but it’s […]

By the urban poor, from the urban poor: fighting climate change

If we want to tackle climate change, we have to fight it from all sides; one of the things I liked about the COP21 climate summit was that people from all around the world came  to present their ideas for fighting climate change locally, with tailored solutions. The UN recently highlighted the projects in the Change […]

These technologies will help tackle climate change, UN claims

If we want to limit our emissions to an acceptable limit, then all aspects of human society have to come together – environmental, social, economic, and not least, technology. With this in mind, six projects were presented at COP21, highlighted as this year’s UN Momentum for Change ICT solutions winners. These are the winning projects: Fairphone […]

New COP draft on the table... but is it good enough?!

After hundreds of hours of negotiations and discourse, it seems that the parties involved are finally settled and can agree to a new draft for a binding climate agreement. But with one day left to go, is that enough – can we call it a success? The pact is a top-bottom approach; it’s an international agreement […]

This camera can see around corners in real time

The future is now - researchers at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland have developed a camera that can see around corners and track movements in real time.

Africa Renewable energy project receives $10 billion in backing

A very ambitious initiative could make Africa the cleanest continent – Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) an African-led plan to add 10,000 MW of additional renewable energy on the continent by 2020, has received over $10 billion in funding from international sources at COP21. The mega-scale initiative wants to develop all sectors of African renewable energy by […]

How Smart Farming Can Improve Agriculture

Agriculture is a difficult topic to tackle – on one hand, it has to keep up with the growing demand from a growing population, but on the other hand, agriculture accounts for a big part of our greenhouse gas emissions, and there is a need to limit emissions as much as possible. Land usage has […]

Japanese orbiter sends back pictures of Venus

The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) is probably celebrating right now, as their Akatsuki orbiter reached Venus on December 7. The first time JAXA tried to do this in 2010, they failed because the engine malfunctioned, and the shuttle didn’t enter the Venusian orbit. Aimlessly wandering into space without its main engines, the spacecraft appeared doomed […]

Saudi Arabia accused of derailing Paris talks

With only three days left from the Paris Climate Summit, the time for populist talks has passed, and we're expecting concrete solutions.

Stonehenge might have been built in Wales, new evidence suggest

Despite it being studied for many decades, there are still many things we don’t understand about the Stonehenge. Scientists have now identified the original quarries where the bluestones were mined:  225 km away in Wales, and 500 years before the Stonehenge was built! This could indicate that perhaps a proto-version of the Neolithic monument could […]

Google wants to develop needle-free blood-drawing smartwatches

Competition between tech giants is more fierce than ever, and Google is out for blood - literally.

It's the Motherload: $17 Billion in Loot Found on Sunken Galleon off Colombian Coast

A ship missing for over 300 years has been rediscovered, according to Colombian authorities – a boat with an estimated $17 billion in loot. San José was a 60-gun, 3-masted galleon of the Spanish Navy. It was launched in 1698, and was sunk in the battle off the coast of Cartagena in 1708, during a […]

Hidden portrait found under the Mona Lisa

In what reads like the headline for a modern mystery novel, a researcher has found a hidden portrait under the Mona Lisa - or so he claims.

Here's how dolphins "see" humans through echolocation

An unprecedented image created by UK and US researchers shows how a submerged human is “seen” by dolphins through echolocation. Echolocation, also called bio sonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals, including dolphins. Basically, they emit sounds around them and then listen to the returning echo to locate and identify different […]

Academics for sale: undercover investigation reveals fossil fuel industry buys scientists

An undercover investigation exposed how fossil fuel companies pay off academics to publish research sowing doubt about climate change and promote corporate interests.

What polar inhabitants want from a climate deal

While the climate talks in Paris are carrying on in full force, it’s important to keep in mind that most of climate change isn’t actually affecting the ones causing it. The polar regions, the south Pacific and small islands are the ones suffering the most. The governments of Nunavut (Canada) and Greenland (Denmark) and the Inuit […]

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to terminate climate change - and promote vegetarianism

“I don’t give a damn if we agree about climate change” – this is how a post on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Facebook page opened up yesterday, one day before his talk at the COP21 climate summit. Fighting for climate We don’t have the time to debate and convince everyone, as every day, as 19,000 people die from […]

The first COP21 draft is out!

The climate talks in Paris have so far been surprisingly consistent and on track – right now, we’ve learned that the first draft for a global climate agreement is out! This unprecedented meeting has just yielded its first concrete results, and while there are still many brackets which mean that many things are still debatable, […]

Artists install faux ads to protest corporate greenwashing in COP21

82 artists joined hands to create 600 artworks - modified ads placed around Pars to protest greenwashing done by the corporations involved in the climate summit.

German fusion machine to kick off in December

The Wendelstein 7-X will start firing up helium plasma in December and hydrogen plasma in January 2016, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics announced. That may not seem like much, but it’s quite exciting when you think that machines like this one could revolutionize energy production. The 425 tonne installation took 1.1 million construction hours spread over […]

US Presidential Candidates That Don't "Believe" in Climate Change

While most of the world is trying to reach a climate agreement that would help preserve our planet’s climate for future generations, some of the US presidential candidates just don’t get it – or don’t want to get it. Despite an overwhelming scientific consensus (97% of climate scientists), despite obvious effects and forecasts, and despite […]

Trump's reaction to the Climate Summit in Paris is laughably ... depressive

Warning alert: this will be extremely annoying for Republicans, Democrats, women, men, children… and pretty much anyone with common sense. While the whole world is trying to settle its differences and finally reach a climate agreement for the future of the planet, Donald Trump is being… Donald Trump. What is Obama thinking? A video posted […]