One of the biggest criticisms of the renewable-energy industry is that it has been propped up by government subsidies. There is no doubt that without…
INGLORIOUS EMPIRE
The lies Brits tell themselves about how they left behind a better India
![Local children greet Britain's Prime Minister [Tony Blair] in the village of Vattem, Andhra Pradesh, part of the second leg of their three nation tour of South Asia January 6, 2002. [British Prime Minister Tony Blair began talks late on Sunday with his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee aimed at defusing a tense military standoff between India and Pakistan.] - RTXKZFA](https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/britain-india-flags.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=270)
In May 2015, Shashi Tharoor, a former undersecretary general of the United Nations and a current member of India’s parliament, gave a stirring speech at…
WAKING THE GIANT
The greatest concentration of volcanoes has been found in Antarctica—and that’s terrifying news
Everything about Antarctica is hyperbolic. It is the coldest, highest, driest, and windiest continent. Now, it can add another extreme feather to its cap: Scientists…
PERSEIDS
This weekend is the best time to watch the year’s most spectacular meteor shower
After 29 years, I saw my first shooting star last year. The shiny, silvery streaks, which last barely a second, remain as fresh in my…
BREAKING GOOD
Soon, nobody will read academic journals illegally, because the studies worth reading will be free
It’s a dirty open secret in academia. Scholars work very hard to prove their work is worth taxpayers’ money, but then publish it in journals…
FIRE IT UP
The biggest market for hydrogen as a clean fuel may not be cars—but homes
As in other countries, many people in the UK heat their homes with natural gas, which burns cleaner than oil or coal and thus has…
TEST FLIGHT
Boeing’s plan to draw an airplane in the sky dumped at least 300,000 kg of carbon dioxide
On Aug. 2, a Boeing 787-8 took off from Seattle. It flew across the US on a flight path in its own shape: wings, fuselage,…
LAND, AIR AND SEE
The visual story of what humans sacrifice in our relentless hunt for coal
Imagine a coal miner. The picture in your mind is likely that of a strongly built man, with soiled clothes, black coal smudged across exposed…
NEW ERA
A highly successful attempt at genetic editing of human embryos has opened the door to eradicating inherited diseases
On July 26, Shoukhrat Mitalipov woke up to headlines about his research: “First human embryos edited in US,” said one; “Genome of viable human embryos…
HEAVY LIFTING
Hydrogen-powered vehicles are finally taking off—inside Amazon and Walmart warehouses
Automakers have been touting hydrogen cars for at least a decade. The newest edition of Honda Clarity, launched earlier this year in the US, comes…
SEEK HIGHER GROUND
A rare mega-tsunami in Greenland is helping researchers prepare for a new climate-change threat
On the evening of June 17, residents in the Greenland village of Nuugaatsiaq felt a low rumble shake the ground. In a coastal town like…
TWISTED ECONOMICS
The world thinks China has too many power plants, but it’s likely to be an accidental blessing
The scene from the restaurant window looked like I was in a holiday resort on a beautiful beach. Except it was the restaurant of a…
