Cliff Kuang

11.23.09

Farming in the Sky

Agriculture is broken. Traditional techniques use too much energy and produce too little food for our growing planet. One fix: skyscrapers filled with robotically tended hydroponic crops and lab-grown meat

By Cliff Kuang Posted 09.04.2008 at 3:06 pm 33 Comments

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READ MORE ABOUT > Cliff Kuang, engineering, environment, september 2008, vertical farm, Video

Visiting the Green Megalopolis

An audio tour of the ultra-green megacity of tomorrow

By PopSci Staff Posted 06.30.2008 at 12:23 pm 0 Comments

Chuck Cage sits down with editor Nicole Dyer and writer Cliff Kuang to get the inside scoop on the future of the environment. In this episode of Cocktail Party Science, the three tear open the eco-friendly green megalopolis to learn more about the pod cars, maglevs, energy-generating sidewalks and more.

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READ MORE ABOUT > charles cage, Cliff Kuang, cocktail party science, nicole dyer, podcast

10 Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet

To rescue the Earth, we need bold engineering ideas that go beyond simple recycling

By PopSci Staff Posted 06.13.2008 at 3:10 pm 27 Comments

Making a dent in the climate crisis is going to take more than solar panels and recycled toilet paper. Scientists are finding ever more creative ways (pig pee! DIY tornadoes! mini nuclear reactors!) to clean up the Earth

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READ MORE ABOUT > Cliff Kuang, Corey Binns, dawn stover, future of the environment, july 2008, Rena Marie Pacella

Beyond the Male "Pill"

From remote-control key fobs to ultrasound, male contraception goes high tech

By Cliff Kuang Posted 05.20.2008 at 9:32 am 2 Comments

Beyond the Pill: pixelgarden.com

Last January, an Australian engineer announced a bizarre new contraceptive for men: a radio-controlled implant that could block the flow of sperm with the click of a button. The device, which is still in the conceptual stages, is the latest in a growing number of experimental male birth-control methods—including sperm plugs, sperm dissolvers and heat-inducing gels—that don’t tinker with testosterone.

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READ MORE ABOUT > birth control, Cliff Kuang, conception, hormones, june 2008, medicine, sperm, testosterone

Edible Antifreeze

Borrowing a trick from the Arctic snow flea could banish freezer burn

By Cliff Kuang Posted 05.09.2008 at 4:06 pm 3 Comments

Putting food back in the freezer after it thaws causes ice crystals to grow, imparting the unwelcome crunchy texture and mildew-like taste of freezer burn. Now food chemist Srinivasan Damodaran of the University of WisconsinMadison has derived an edible antifreeze from papaya enzymes and gelatin. His concoction, which stunts ice-crystal growth, promises always-creamy ice cream and juicier T-bones, even after their third trip between icebox and table.

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READ MORE ABOUT > Cliff Kuang, equation, freezer burn, ice cream, may 2008, proteins