The Nobel Prize for sustainability?

In a ceremony last month, Katerva announced the winner of their first annual award for Best Sustainable Idea, a process touted as the “Nobel Prize of Sustainability” by the non-profit organization....

3GF and green economic growth

The Global Green growth Forum (3GF)* has ended in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conclusion is that economies based upon green technology are the only way to guarantee an economically viable future. This forum was about airing bold...

Mars 500, simulated mission accomplished [+video]

After 520 days of total isolation in a mock spaceship, the Mars 500 crew were reunited with their loved ones in the outside world. In this edition of Space we have the men’s first accounts and exclusive images of their sealed capsule. We also witness the aftermath and follow their medical and psychological check ups. Finally, we discover just how important this simulated trip to nowhere…

China increases target for wind power capacity to 1,000 GW by 2050

The National Energy Administration of China has set a series of development goals for the country

The most innovative houses of 2011

Preston at Jetson Green rounds up all the houses I missed this year

First four exoplanets of 2012 discovered

Only four days into the New Year and the first four exoplanets of 2012 have been spotted orbiting four distant stars.

The smoky pink core of the Omega Nebula

A new image of the Omega Nebula, captured by ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), is one of the sharpest of this object ever taken from the ground. It shows the dusty, rose-coloured central parts of this famous stellar nursery and reveals extraordinary detail in the cosmic landscape of gas clouds, dust and newborn stars.

'Squeezed' quantum vacuum filled with atoms

Quantum theory is known for its peculiar concepts that appear to contradict the fundamental principles of traditional physics. Researchers have now succeeded in creating a special quantum state between two mesoscopic gases with approximately 500 atoms. The state is known as a “squeezed“ vacuum, in which measuring one gas affects the results of the measurement on the other. To produce these results the team had to develop a novel detection technique to measure values in atomic gases that were previously unobtainable.

Listening to music lights up the whole brain

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking new method that allows to study how the brain processes different aspects of music, such as rhythm, tonality and timbre (sound color) in a realistic listening situation.

WISE presents a cosmic wreath

Just in time for the holidays, astronomers have come across a new image from NASA

Discovery of a 'dark state' could mean a brighter future for solar energy

The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion.