All Environment
Oil prices up on Egypt crisis, US jobsOil prices jumped nearly $2 Friday on continued protests in Egypt and a healthy US jobs report. It's the highest oil prices have been since last May.聽
The world's thinnest solar cell, just a nanometer thickResearchers at MIT聽have developed a technique for creating solar cells that are only two molecules thick.聽The resulting solar cell can only offer a conversion efficiency of 1 - 2 percent, but by placing multiple cells one on top of the other the overall generation capacity can be far greater than conventional cells.
A surprising source of demand for US natural gasThe US natural gas market is on the verge of a big swing, Forest writes, but it doesn't have to do with liquid natural gas. Instead, there's an interesting and unexpected source of demand for US natural gas.
A declaration of energy independence: What it really meansTrue energy independence is more than a supply-demand equation. For starters, energy independence should mean freedom from gasoline price spikes caused by unstable foreign nations. 聽
Lonesome George, famous Gal谩pagos tortoise, to be preserved: why he's a symbolLonesome George, who died last year, will be displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York this winter. Experts hope the exhibit will spread awareness about species extinction.
A Gulf of Mexico oil platform has been leaking for 9 yearsHurricane Ivan swept away an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004. Nine years later, it's still leaking oil, although the company behind the project says it has reduced the leak to a trickle.
Why oil prices rise on Egypt unrestOil prices spiked above $102 a barrel Wednesday as protesters poured into the streets of Cairo and the Egyptian military ousted聽President Mohammed Morsi. Egypt is critical to regional oil transportation and has investors worried that protests could spread elsewhere in the region.
Ethiopia: Big Nile dam could ease Africa power failuresEthiopia: Big Nile dam echoes the Hoover Dam in scale and scope, offering the hope of a brighter economic future in Ethiopia and the Nile region. Ethiopia's big Nile dam 鈥� called the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam 鈥撀爓ill cost $4.2 billion and be able to聽produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity.聽
UN: Last decade was warmest on record, but weather-related fatalities fellThe World Meteorological Organization's review of severe weather and climate 2001 to 2010 shows that nine years in that decade were among the 10 warmest on record. Even normally cool La Ni帽a years warmed up.
Oil prices spike over Egypt unrest: How worried should we be?Concerns over the disruption of the Suez Canal has inflated the price of crude oil to its highest point in over a year, but analysts say the spike is likely temporary.
Fourth of July travel: Gas prices drop for Independence DayFourth of July celebrations just got a bit more festive with a recent drop in gas prices. If it lasts much beyond the Fourth of July will depend on turmoil in Egypt and across the Middle East, the economy, and especially hurricane season.
Wildlife trafficking: US initiative in Africa 'really about people'The US wildlife initiative to stop poaching of elephants and other animals aims to address each level of an expanding illegal global market that is rivaling the global narcotics, arms, and human trafficking markets.
Obama pledges $7 billion for clean energy in AfricaPresident Obama unveiled this week a $7 billion plan to improve energy access in Africa over the next five years. The "Africa Power" initiative was announced during President Obama's three country tour of Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Tanzania: Obama kicks soccer ball, generates powerTanzania: Obama showed off his soccer skills with a so-called Soccket soccer ball that creates and stores kinetic energy during play. The Tanzania demonstration underscores President Obama's plan to invest $7 billion in energy access programs in Tanzania and across Africa.
GM, Honda to join forces on fuel cell vehiclesGM and Honda said Tuesday they would collaborate to develop new alternative fuel vehicles based on hydrogen storage and fuel cell technologies.聽GM and Honda already have more than 1,200 fuel cell patents between them, and both companies have experimental vehicle fleets.聽Ford, Daimler and Renault-Nissan have announced similar plans.
Why oil and gas drilling is going deeper and further offshoreOffshore oil and gas drilling is moving further offshore and deeper underwater as energy companies seek to find sources of production in low-risk areas, Gagliardi writes.聽The added incentive is that more remote basins may hold the promise of significant deposits of hydrocarbons with 200 million barrels or more of recoverable reserves.
Could nuclear weapons save the elephants?Researchers have found a way to use radioactive isotopes from above-ground nuclear testing to determine the age 鈥� and thus the legality 鈥� of ivory.聽
Obama climate plan: the one thing you need to knowPresident Obama's plan to address climate change will at most have a slight impact, Cobb writes, but it is nonetheless a brave and even historic move towards slowing the effects of climate change.聽
Heat wave tests California power grid. Why no blackouts so far?A heat wave scorching its way through the West is the first major test of summer's spiking energy demand, but it seems to be passing the test. Better technology and communications may be to thank for that. But utilities are still on high alert, particularly in California where two nuclear plants have gone offline. 聽
Death Valley temps tie record in extreme heat waveDeath Valley temps soared Sunday at least tying the record high temperature of 128 degrees for June. One thermometer recorded Death Valley temps of 129.9, which shatters the record for June.聽
