A small team of researchers at the Rice and Pennsylvania State universities has developed a new solar cell that is based on organic block copolymers. The research and the new solar cell have led to the possibility of an entirely new class of solar panels. The organic block copolymers are compounds that self-arrange into certain layers that are effective at absorbing sunlight, and are significantly better at doing so than other substances that … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2013
Today, June 5, is World Environment Day. Hooray!
It is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. The World Environment Day celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action. Through World Environment Day, the United Nations Environment Program is able to … [Read more...]
A New – Yet Old – Source of Food
Insects are a virtually "untapped" source of food for people, livestock and pets, according to the United Nations. Two billion people already supplement their diets with creepy-crawlies and insect farming could be one way to address food security, a UN agency has said. Its 200-page report Edible Insects says many of the creatures are high in protein, good fats and minerals. It suggests that large-scale mechanization of "insect farming" would also … [Read more...]
Monsanto Feels the Heat
I have written about the Monsanto corporation on numerous occasions, including A Brief History of Monsanto, and Monsanto v. The State of Illusion. On Friday, it was reported that Monsanto will halt promotion of genetically modified crops in Europe. The decision followed a world-wide protest of Monsanto and GMOs on May 25. The company stopped lobbying for cultivation of the genetically modified crops and will no longer seek approvals for new … [Read more...]