Technology
A Brain Chemical Helps Neurons Know When to Start a Movement
Dopamine, a neurochemical often associated with reward behavior, seems to help organize precisely when the brain initiates movements.
A New Gas-Guzzling Postal Fleet Could Be Halted by Lawsuits
Suits by states and environmentalists are contesting a USPS contract to buy 165,000 trucks, the majority of which get only 8.6 miles...
Burning Crops to Capture Carbon? Good Luck Finding Water
The technique uses plants as fuel and sequesters the emitted CO2, removing it from the atmosphere. But scaling up would use gobs of...
A Vast Underground Water System Helps Drive Antarctica’s...
Scientists have finally found Antarctica’s missing groundwater, which will help them predict ice flows on the continent.
Mars Colonies Will Need Solar Power—and Nuclear Too
A new study shows how future inhabitants of the Red Planet could run on either energy source, depending on where they set up camp.
You Don't Have to Quit Meat to Save the Planet—Just Eat...
If everyone ate just 20 percent less beef, deforestation rates by 2050 could be half as bad.
Could Anyone Do Luke’s Plank Flip From ‘Return of the Jedi’?
Let’s calculate whether the lightsaber-catching, Sarlacc-pit-avoiding maneuver can be done by mere mortals or requires help from the...
The Pandemic Gave Scientists a New Way to Spy on Emissions
Researchers have struggled to quantify in real time how much carbon dioxide humans spout. Lockdowns presented a unique opportunity...
Everyone Wants to Build Green Energy Projects. What's the...
Proposals for wind, solar, and battery storage projects are running into a logjam of paperwork and grid connection issues.
Give Fitbits (of Sorts) to the Trees
You can tell a lot about a tree by its sway, so scientists are outfitting them with accelerometers. That could help the West better...
