green science library

Green Science is the application of eco-friendly thinking to scientific disciplines. Learn about global warming, pollution and other impacts on nature and the planet, plus what we can do to combat them.

Featured Article: How Urban Planning Works

Scientists say that as of May 2007,. more people now live in urban than in rural areas. So how do planners make cities work for all those people? See more »

Articles 21-40 of 155

Could color-coded bacteria help spot oil spills?

Liquid petroleum quickly taints everything it touches, covering soil, water and wildlife with its black, viscous stickiness. Cleanup takes a lot longer. Is the best way to mop up an oil spill glowing under a microbiologist's microscope?

Could congestion pricing help my commute?

Good solutions for congestion are hard to come by. But by using the principles of supply and demand, variable congestion pricing might just be able to clear things up.

Could free energy be only one flush away?

Think about all the water that goes down the drain every day. What if the energy of that rushing water could be harnessed and turned into real power. One company has a plan that promises to do just that.

Could luminescent solar concentrators make solar power more affordable?

What's a good way to make solar power affordable? Find a way to generate more electricity in a smaller area. You can do it -- just concentrate.

Could military strategy win the war on global warming?

Environmentalists have found a way to harness the military precision of missile-tracking technology for a decidedly nonviolent mission: replanting forests. So what do C-130 aircraft have to do with reforestation?

Could reversing global warming start an ice age?

When people talk about "the Ice Age," they generally mean the most recent one, but Earth has experienced them off and on for the last 600 million years. Are we on the brink of a new ice age?

Could Salter's Duck have solved the oil crisis?

Its name sounds more like a beach tourist attraction than an alternative energy source. Could this Duck have prevented our current oil dependence? Is the renewable energy of waves the wave of our future?

Did climate change create a mysterious civilization 5,000 years ago?

It may look like a wasteland now, but a mysterious mound-building civilization once called Peru's arid valleys home. Did a shift in climate drive them to settle -- and eventually disappear?

Do wind turbines cause health problems?

Green, clean energy sounds good at first blush: Harness the power of the wind to run our creature comforts. But could the sounds people hear (and don't hear) from wind turbines endanger their health?

Do wind turbines kill birds?

For all of its cleanliness, wind power has long been linked to the grisly deaths of birds. Why did one range in California earn turbines the name "bird-o-matics"?

Does smog make for beautiful sunsets?

Many people think that beautiful, blazing sunsets are one upside to living with the smog that hangs over polluted cities. Are they right? Does smog actually enhance sunsets?

Everyday Science: Landfill Quiz

Landfills are the resting place for everything from old newspapers to food scraps to worn-out tennis shoes. In 2006, Americans alone generated more than 250 million tons of waste a day, at least half of which got tossed into landfills. So what happens to your garbage after the trash collector hauls it away?

Everyday Science: Salt Water Fuel Quiz

Imagine how convenient it would be if two-thirds of the Earth's surface was covered with a readily available, nonpolluting fuel source. With the discoveries being made in regards to salt water fuel, you may not have to imagine much longer. In 2003, John Kanzius serendipitously discovered a way to burn salt water. How would salt water fuel impact the world?