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Our Effect On Earth’s Water Cycle Is Both Fascinating And Terrifying
Initially, access to water defined where humanity could grow and develop. But now the opposite is true, and we’re the ones directing the future of our global water system. Watching that transition unfold is as sobering as it is stunning.
Monster Machines: This Natural Gas Plant Is Turbocharged By The Sun
With the decreasing popularity of coal and increasing volatility of petroleum prices, natural gas is emerging as a major energy resource. And while we have plenty of reserves, an estimated 84 trillion cubic metres, it’s still a non-renewable resource that must be used sparingly whenever possible — like this new natural gas power plant prototype from the Department of Energy. It produces just as much electricity with 20 per cent less gas every time the sun shines.
Philips’ Prototype LED Could Save Billions Annually
Office parks and convenience stores rely on fluorescent lights. These flickering gas-filled tubes suck down far less energy than the incandescent bulbs they replaced, but they still consume some 200 terawatts of electricity every year. This new super-efficient LED prototype from Philips, however, puts florescents to shame.
Farming Nemo: How Aquaculture Will Feed Nine Billion Hungry People
Shrimp fountains don’t grow on trees, you know — nor do Ahi Tuna steaks, Fish McBites or fried calamari. But that hasn’t stopped an increasingly affluent human population from annually demanding more and more seafood. As a result, an estimated 85 per cent of the ocean’s fish stocks are now either fully exploited or overfished. But an ancient form of aquatic farming, and current $US60 billion-a-year industry, may hold the key to both protecting wild fish populations and your local sushi shop.
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