Technology
What Happens If a Space Elevator Breaks
These structures are a sci-fi solution to the problem of getting objects into orbit without a rocket—but you don’t want to be under...
Scientists Are Racing to Understand the Fury of Tonga’s...
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunami that have devastated Tonga are unlike anything volcanologists have seen...
75 Years On, the Doomsday Clock Keeps Ticking
The iconic graphic of a timepiece originated as a nuclear warning. It updates its time on Thursday amid threats like climate change...
Humanity Has Turned Land Itself Into a Menace
All of our meddling has primed Earth to collapse under cities and belch greenhouse gases, a nasty feedback loop that’s accelerating...
A Project to Count Climate Crisis Deaths Has Surprising...
Climate change is already killing people, but countries don’t have an easy way to count those deaths. A new project might change that.
The US Inches Toward Building EV Batteries at Home
In an effort to reduce dependency on hard-to-source cobalt and Chinese manufacturing, US makers are finally getting into the cathode...
Is There Really Such a Thing as Low-Carbon Beef?
The USDA is making it easier for farmers to market their meat as “low-carbon.” Not everyone is happy about it.
Global Ship Traffic Could Imperil the Antarctic's Biosecurity
Vessels from more than 1,500 ports have visited the region since 2014. Each one is a threat to introduce invasive species.
An Injection of Chaos Solves a Decades-Old Fluid Mystery
In the 1960s, drillers noticed that certain fluids would firm up if they flowed too fast. Researchers have finally explained why.
How to Prepare for Climate Change's Most Immediate Impacts
The effects of the climate crisis are happening right now. From natural disasters to supply chain shortages, here's how to cope.
