Latest significant advancements in water research. Reporting on the far-reaching impacts of these new understandings on society and humanity.
How to Deploy Tech Solutions to the World's Greatest Challenges at Scale
Alfred Watkins - Jun 09, 2019
"Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door," argued Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th century US lecturer, philosopher, and essayist. In other words, if scientists and engineers invent...
Pulling Water, Fuel, and Power From Thin Air Is Getting Practical
Edd Gent - Jun 18, 2018
Pulling things from thin air is generally considered a magic trick. But several recent research papers suggest we could soon be extracting valuable resources like water, fuel, and power from the atmosphere. Startup Carbon Engineering...
5 Organizations Using Cool Tech Solutions and Research to Clean Up the Oceans
Raya Bidshahri - May 20, 2018
The Earth is an ocean world. From space, this fact is obvious, whether the planet appears as a bluish dust mote at the edge of the solar system, a bright sapphire star from our...
How Graphene Research Is Taking Aim at 5 of the World's Biggest Problems
Scott Simonsen - Jan 26, 2018
In September 2015, world leaders gathered at a historic UN summit to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are 17 ambitious targets and indicators that help guide and coordinate governments and international organizations...
The Massive Project to Clean Up the Ocean With a Two-Kilometer Screen
Scott Simonsen - Dec 14, 2017
Every year, eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean, threatening just about every marine species and ecosystem. As the global population grows and countries develop, this is only going to increase, eventually...
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Europe's Huge New Vertical Farm
Vanessa Bates Ramirez - Jul 13, 2017
The Eindhoven High Tech Campus, a 90-minute train ride south of Amsterdam, consists of two rows of nondescript mid-rise office buildings on either side of a wide, tree-lined road. In typical Dutch fashion, there's...
New Technology Brings Star Wars-Style Desert Moisture Farming a Step Closer
Amin Al-Habaibeh - Apr 17, 2017
Luke Skywalker wasn't just a farmer. In the original 1977 Star Wars film, the lead character was desperate to leave his home planet of Tatooine, where his family farmed moisture from the atmosphere using...
Combating Scarcity With Abundance: New Impact Challenge to Tackle California's Drought
Singularity University - Jul 24, 2015
Have a big idea about how to use technology to tackle California's drought? Applications are now open for the 2015 Singularity University Impact Challenge. The top three ideas will win $5,000, access to SU's...
Summit Spain: What Is The Greatest Challenge Humanity Faces Today?
Sveta McShane - Mar 18, 2015
"What is the greatest challenge humanity faces today?" This question was posed by Nick Haan, Director of Global Grand Challenges at Singularity University, to the audience gathered at this year's Summit Spain in Seville. "It depends...
Solar PowerCube Provides Electricity, Clean Water, and WiFi in Disaster Zones
Jason Dorrier - Jul 18, 2014
Following a major disaster, water, energy, and communications can be in short supply—challenging for residents and relief workers alike. But what if you could provide these necessities using only sunlight? Ecosphere's all-in-one solar solution, the Ecos...
New Material Sucks Water From the Air and Stores It
Cameron Scott - Jun 30, 2014
As the changing climate pushes arid regions around the world to become drier, many are asking how we will continue to provide enough water for the people and crops in those areas. Some Rice University...
Chilean Incubator Wants Companies Using Tech to Help the Poor
Cameron Scott - May 15, 2014
Chilean not-for-profit Socialab runs competitions for technology-based business proposals that address some of the major problems wrought by poverty in the region: food insecurity, lack of clean drinking water, struggling public education and so on. Then it taps its virtual community of 300,000 users to identify the best ideas and fine-tune them.
Raspberry Pi Keeps Wowing Us Even Two Years After Launch
Cameron Scott - Apr 17, 2014
With the Raspberry Pi, a programmable credit card-sized computer, British computer scientists sought to rekindle garage innovation. What would young students do with the power of computing if they could buy a computer for just $35 and access all of its parts?
IBM Markets Watson as Potential Solution to Africa's Health and Education Woes
Cameron Scott - Feb 21, 2014
IBM recently announced that it will invest in a research program in Africa to improve water and sanitation, agriculture, healthcare and education on the continent using its artificial intelligence platform, Watson.
The Wheel Reinvented – The Q Drum Is An Easy Way To Transport Water In Developing Countries (video)
Peter Murray - Aug 14, 2011
For people in developing countries, getting clean water to cook with, clean with, and drink, can be a difficult and dangerous task. In rural areas, it often requires miles-long treks to the source and...
Nanotechnology may conjure up images of tiny robots, or machines in our blood stream, but what about really cool dirt? DIME, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, has licensed a nanotech process...