• The Environment

    Ocean pH and the Fate of the Food Chain

    By Posted on 5.23.2008 8 Comments

    Global warming is far and away the symptom at the top of the list of indicators that our planet is overloaded with carbon dioxide. Another important, but less considered consequence of the excess CO2 is the effect it has on the world's oceans. The oceans are a natural carbon dioxide sponge, responsible for maintaining the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere by absorbing a measure of the gas in its water. Currently, it is estimated that the ocean is uptaking nearly one-third of all human-produced CO2, which is slowly lowering its overall pH. Put simply: the oceans are becoming acidic.

    5.23.2008 at 10:23am - Comment by CalmLikeABomb

    Well, what do you know, its another step to the end of life as we know it...here's an idea people, go green. The Earth is falling apart.

  • Gadgets

    XO 2.0

    By Posted on 5.22.2008 9 Comments

    The XO laptop is back with a new look and a new design, at least in theory. Nicholas Negroponte unveiled photos of the upcoming XO-2 device this week, with an announcement that the revamped computer would be ready for delivery by 2010 and carry a price tag of $75. Gone is the green plastic keyboard, replaced instead with a second touch screen. The device can be opened to function like an electronic book, or it can be rotated to a more traditional laptop configuration, with the new screen assuming the role of virtual keyboard.

    5.22.2008 at 10:24am - Comment by CalmLikeABomb

    What is the battery life of a laptop like this one?

  • Science

    Ten Times the Turbine

    By Posted on 5.21.2008 19 Comments

    Sky Serpent Cost to Develop: $250,000 Time: 9 years Prototype | | | | | Product Today’s largest wind farms are the size of small towns, made up of turbines 30 stories tall with blades the size of 747 wings. Those behemoths produce a great deal of power, but manufacturing, transporting, and installing them is both expensive and difficult, and back orders are common as the industry grows by more than 40 percent a year. The solution, says inventor Doug Selsam, is to think smaller: Capture more power with less material by putting 2, 10, someday dozens of smaller rotors on the same shaft linked to the same generator.

    5.22.2008 at 10:21am - Comment by CalmLikeABomb

    This is a great idea, and I had a thought about it, If the blades were spinning, and these blades have the angle that pushes air out towards the preceeding turbine, then wouldn't it create some kind of perpetual motion system that would power every blade behind the first?



Download Our iPhone App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed



Become a Fan On Facebook

Share links with friends, comment on stories and more


December 2009: Best of What's New

In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.

Check out the best of what's new here.

Popular Science Photo Pool


Share your photos in the Pop Sci pool at www.flickr.com!
tags_sprite.png
POP_embeddedForm_cover_May09.jpg