Tag: Science

Old electricity generating plants don’t have to be abandoned or torn down. They can be giant batteries—an idea that Denmark’s Hyme Energy is putting into practice.

For years, scientists have been tinkering with transparent solar panels that can double as windows. We’ve alerted readers to pioneering efforts in “Goodbye, Rooftop Solar Panels” (22 Oct 2015) and “A Window That’s Also a Solar Panel” (1 Feb 2022).

Neither are we, but Wisk Aero in California built it anyway.

A team of British researchers is making the first test of lab-grown blood cells in human beings.

Metals conduct electricity because their atoms and molecules are arranged in tight, repeating patterns that allow electrons to flow through them with ease.

Rare earth elements are key components in our electrified world, used in everything from electric motors to flat-screen televisions. But acquiring them is a messy business.

Various strains of genetically engineered bacteria have been used as industrial workhorses for years. It’s a straightforward idea: you engineer a bacterium’s genome so that when it eats specific things, it exudes or excretes the exact product you want.

The idea of collecting solar energy out beyond Earth’s atmosphere and then beaming it to receivers on the ground has been around for years; experiments have shown the concept is feasible.

Rare earth metals are essential in virtually every kind of electronic device with a motor, from electric cars to wind turbines.