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This Unlikely Chemical Could Be a Powerful Weapon Against Climate Change

Year after year, humans pump more carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere than nature can remove, fueling global warming. As the need to mitigate climate change becomes increasingly urgent, scientists are developing ways to actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere in addition to cutting emissions. One of the biggest hurdles to scaling current carbon capture technologies is the vast amount of energy they consume, but what if there was an alternative that uses an abundant, cheap power source? A t

Misunderstood “photophoresis” effect could loft metal sheets to exosphere

Most people would recognize the device in the image above, although they probably wouldn't know it by its formal name: the Crookes radiometer. As its name implies, placing the radiometer in light produces a measurable change: the blades start spinning. Unfortunately, many people misunderstand the physics of its operation (which we'll return to shortly). The actual forces that drive the blades to spin, called photophoresis, can act on a variety of structures as long as they're placed in a suffic

The most otherworldly, mysterious forms of lightning on Earth

Our atmosphere is like one big electrical circuit: Thunderstorms are the batteries that charge it up, and lightning is the current flowing through it. On the ground we see evidence of this circuit when lightning cracks and strikes the ground, or when it lights up deep inside a thundercloud, but high above the clouds lies a secret electrical zoo full of sprites, elves, and jets. These fantastical terms refer to light displays called transient luminous events or TLEs that occur in Earth’s upper a

What Problems to Solve (1966)

What Problems to Solve - By Richard Feynman A former student, who was also once a student of Tomonaga’s, wrote to extend his congratulations. Feynman responded, asking Mr. Mano what he was now doing. The response: “studying the Coherence theory with some applications to the propagation of electromagnetic waves through turbulent atmosphere… a humble and down-to-earth type of problem.”

What Problems to Solve – By Richard Feynman

What Problems to Solve - By Richard Feynman A former student, who was also once a student of Tomonaga’s, wrote to extend his congratulations. Feynman responded, asking Mr. Mano what he was now doing. The response: “studying the Coherence theory with some applications to the propagation of electromagnetic waves through turbulent atmosphere… a humble and down-to-earth type of problem.”

Scientists Reveal Easy Three-Step Plan to Terraform Mars

Terraforming, the act of radically transforming a planet's climate and environment to make it suitable for human habitation, currently belongs to the realm of science-fiction. But it's possible, at least in theory, and the idea of terraforming our nearest candidate planet for off-world colonization, Mars, has captivated us for generations. But how would we even begin to pull off such a monumental feat of engineering? You can basically boil it down to three simple steps, argue the authors of a r

Astronomers create first 3D map of a hellish alien planet's atmosphere

The big picture: Nearly 6,000 exoplanets have now been confirmed in the vast expanse of the Milky Way galaxy. Some are believed to have the potential to harbor life, while others are so hostile that they make Venus seem mild by comparison. One such planet is the ultra-hot Jupiter known as WASP-121b, nicknamed Tylos – a world so extreme it defies expectations. Located around 900 light-years away in the Puppis constellation, Tylos orbits its parent star at an absurdly close distance, completing a