Astronomers have discovered a captive asteroid shadowing Earth in its orbit. The asteroid, known as 2020 XL5, is only the second of its type ever seen, shepherded by Earth’s gravity into an orbit that is locked in synchrony with our planet’s. It has not shared our orbit for long — Read more…
Almost no corals on the planet will escape severe bleaching once global heating reaches 1.5C, according to a new study of the world’s reefs. Reefs in areas currently regarded as cooler refuges will be overwhelmed at 1.5C of heating, and just 0.2% of reefs will escape at least one bleaching Read more…
Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that they say is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities. The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form Read more…
A bill introduced Tuesday in the Senate could help make it easier for farmers […] to repair their tractors independently. The legislation would require agriculture equipment manufacturers to make spare parts, instruction manuals and software codes publicly available, allowing farmers to fix devices by themselves or hire third-party mechanics of Read more…
SpaceX has rolled out a new, more powerful premium tier of its Starlink satellite internet service that’s targeted at businesses and enterprise customers. The new product, which was added to the company’s website Tuesday night, comes at five times the cost of the consumer-focused standard service: Starlink Premium requires a Read more…
An almost 500-mile long bolt of lightning that lit up the sky across three US states has set a new world record for longest flash, scientists have confirmed. The lightning bolt, extended a total of 477.2 miles (768 km) and spread across Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The previous record was Read more…
We’re in the midst of an energy transition. Renewable power and electric vehicles are getting cheaper, the grid is getting greener, and oil and gas companies are getting nervous. That’s why the fossil fuel giants are looking towards petrochemicals, and plastics in particular, as their next major growth market. “Plastics Read more…