Environmental Science

How do plants compare to solar cells when it comes to collecting solar energy? Would you get more power from an acre of ground by putting solar cells on it or by raising plants?

We want the ozone layer, but we don't want ozone pollution... Good in the atmosphere but bad on the ground? Find out about ozone pollution, how it affects you and what you can do about it.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

You've probably been spending your summers visiting a barrier island or two and you don't even know it! From Atlantic City to Miami Beach barrier islands are popular vacation spots and amazing ecosystems. Go exploring.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Despite the dangers, oil refineries are essential to society in its current form. Learn how crude oil is converted into everything from butane to gasoline.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

How can water cut through steel? A device called a waterjet uses extreme force to cut through all sorts of things.

Another series of rolling blackouts are hitting California. Learn why this is happening and how it affects you.

By Kevin Bonsor

What happens to all of that trash you put on the curb every week? It doesn't just disappear into a parallel universe. Much of it probably goes to the local landfill, and how it gets handled there is a very involved system.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Patrick J. Kiger

OK, so volts measure the potential for energy to travel and ohms measure the resistance to the electrical flow, but what are amps and watts?

By Dave Roos

The polar ice caps have been in the news recently because of their alleged shrinking due to global warming. How much would the oceans rise if the ice caps melted completely?

By Marshall Brain & Sascha Bos

Carbon-14 dating is something that you hear about in the news all the time. Everything from mastodons to the Shroud of Turin has been dated using this technique! Learn about how carbon-14 dating works and why it is so accurate!

By Marshall Brain

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster has generated renewed interest in the way we search for oil. What methods do we use to find and extract this commodity from the Earth?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Jonathan Strickland

Tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, and also the oldest. Today, tropical rainforests cover only 6 percent of the Earth's ground surface, but they are home to over half of the planet's plant and animal species.

By Tom Harris

It's not really green. It's "green." Unlike asphalt, green pavement is permeable, which means it lets rain soak through to the ground rather than roll off. How does this help our environment?

By Debra Ronca

No one likes paying bills. But you wouldn't have quite so many if you lived off the grid. How do you create enough energy to ditch public utilities?

By Charles W. Bryant

Earthquakes and volcanoes get all the press. But the landslides they trigger are often more devastating. What makes the ground suddenly rip downhill, taking trees and homes with it?

By Jennifer Horton & Mark Mancini

Thousands of women around the world choose to combat ecological problems -- they're known as ecofeminists. But what would you do if you found out your house sat atop a toxic waste dump?

By Winifred Fordham Metz

Polar bears are facing a grim future as global warming melts their Arctic home. What problems are they up against and what's being done to save them?

By Julia Layton

The word "ozone" gets tossed around conversation as casually as a softball, but how many of us could really describe what the ozone layer is? The "hole" in it isn't exactly a hole.

By Jane McGrath

If you've ever walked the New York City streets in July, you've experienced the misery of this phenomenon. Why do cities heat up like furnaces while surrounding rural areas remain cooler?

By Jane McGrath

You might never notice the relentless movement of the oceans unless their waters went eerily still. What forces drive the oceans every second of the day?

By Jennifer Horton

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?

By William Harris

When gas prices shoot through the roof, alternative technologies start to look even more interesting. This one uses heat to create energy, and all we really need is the sun.

By Jane McGrath

Why waste drinkable water on your yard when your old bathwater will suffice? That's the idea behind gray water reclamation -- getting the most out of your water through reuse.

By Robert Lamb

You might think of solar panels as large racks of rigid panels on someone's roof, but newer solar cells are more flexible and efficient.

By William Harris

Scientists are stockpiling the world's seeds, organizing them in giant libraries of planting possibilities. Is every type of plant included? Or, are the seeds of pesky plants shunned?

By Debra Ronca