Geology Is Like Augmented Reality for the Planet

It’s an abnormally hot day in September and I’m standing in a cattail marsh in eastern Wisconsin, trying to change the way my students view the world. They’re all distracted—by the heat, homesickness, or the fact that they’ve lost a phone signal. The guys on the university hockey team are snickering about something. I’ve brought…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off

Google and Facebook Backed an Event Denying Climate Change

This story originally appeared on Mother Jones and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have publicly acknowledged the dangers of global warming, but last week they all sponsored a conference that promoted climate change denial to young libertarians. All three tech companies were sponsors of LibertyCon, the annual convention of…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off

Quantum Physics Could Protect the Grid From Hackers—Maybe

Cybersecurity experts have sounded the alarm for years: Hackers are ogling the US power grid. The threat isn’t merely hypothetical—a group affiliated with the Russian government gained remote access to energy companies’ computers, the Department of Homeland Security published last March. In some cases, the hackers could even directly send commands to mess with hardware,…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off

How to Deconstruct a Football Tackle With Physics

Few things herald Thanksgiving as loudly as turkeys, flight delays, and long hours in front of the TV watching football. It's an important time in the football calendar, with the playoffs beginning to shape up for both college football and the NFL. But what about those impacts? I don't mind watching football, but there's no…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off

Want a Robot to Really Get a Grip? Make It Like Baymax

The octopus is unique among animals in that it can essentially turn itself into liquid, Terminator style. Get yourself a 600-pound octopus and leave it unsupervised and the thing will squeeze itself into a quarter-sized tube and melt its way to freedom. And its manipulation superpowers are legendary—cram it into a jar and it’ll unscrew…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off

Space Billboards Are Just the Latest Orbital Stunt

In January 2018, Rocket Lab sent a surprise to orbit. Along with its normal payloads, the launch company deployed a shiny object it dubbed the Humanity Star—basically a 3-foot-wide disco ball. Its reflective surface would shine down on Earth’s inhabitants, visible to the naked eye for a few months. “No matter where you are in…

By HotelSalesCareers March 20, 2019 Off