ENERGY

May 01 2025ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Setbacks: A Rapid Rollback

The past 100 days have witnessed a swift and sweeping reversal of environmental protections in the US. This administration has taken 145 actions to undo rules that safeguard clean air, water, and climate stability. This is more than what was done in the entire first term. This rapid pace of chang

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May 01 2025SCIENCE

The Shrinking Brain: Shrews' Secret to Surviving Winter

The Eurasian common shrew, Sorex araneus, is a small mammal that has a unique way of dealing with winter. Instead of hibernating or migrating, it shrinks its brain, skull, and most organs. Then, come spring, it grows back to its original size. This ability to change brain size is something that scie

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May 01 2025SCIENCE

Energy's Double Act in Red Algae

Red algae have a unique way of handling energy. They use light-harvesting proteins to capture energy from sunlight. This is not a new fact. What is new is the discovery that these proteins can also be activated by heat alone. This means that red algae can use two different forms of energy to pow

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Apr 30 2025SCIENCE

Powering Back Up: Iberia's Grid Recovery

The Iberian Peninsula is slowly returning to normal after a significant power outage that affected Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. The incident, which occurred just after noon on Monday, was one of the most severe in Europe in nearly two decades. As the region works to restore power, experts a

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Apr 29 2025SCIENCE

Solar-Powered Heat: A Day and Night Story

In the world of renewable energy, solar power is a big deal. It is a way to harness the sun's energy and use it to heat things up. One interesting way to do this is by using something called phase change energy storage. This is a fancy way of saying that energy from the sun is stored as heat during

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Apr 28 2025POLITICS

Trump's First 100 Days: Promises Kept, Promises Broken

The first 100 days of Trump's return to office have been a flurry of activity, with a Republican-controlled Congress backing his moves. Trump has made significant changes, but the long-term effects are still uncertain. Some of his executive orders are just starting points for future actions. For ins

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Apr 27 2025TECHNOLOGY

Solar Power from Space: The Next Big Thing?

The United States is gearing up to send a satellite into space that could change how we think about solar power. This isn't your average satellite. It's designed to collect solar energy up there and send it back down to Earth. The company behind this idea, Aetherflux, has secured a whopping $50 mill

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Apr 26 2025HEALTH

The Quest to Spot Energy Shortfalls in Young Athletes

A new tool is in the works to spot energy deficiency in young women who are into sports. The goal is to help these young athletes stay healthy. This tool is called the Female Energy Deficiency Questionnaire, or FED-Q for short. It focuses on eating habits and overall health. The idea behind FED-Q i

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Apr 24 2025SCIENCE

How Fractures Impact Geothermal Energy Systems

The efficiency of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) relies heavily on the behavior of cold water circulating in deep reservoirs. This process isn't straightforward. It involves a complex interplay of thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical factors. One crucial element is the discrete fracture network (DF

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Apr 24 2025TECHNOLOGY

Harnessing Gravity: The Future of Renewable Energy Storage

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are crucial for reducing carbon emissions. However, their unpredictable nature makes it tough to keep the power grid stable. This is where advanced energy storage systems come in. Among these, gravity energy storage systems (GESS) stand out. They are scal

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