November 7, 2024

Trump’s win is a tragic loss for climate progress

Donald Trump’s decisive victory is a stunning setback for climate change. The Republican President-elect’s return to the White House means the country is going to squander precious momentum, unraveling hard-won policy progress that was just beginning to pay off, all for the second time in less than a decade.  It comes at a moment when…

Everything comes back to climate tech. Here’s what to watch for next.

October 10, 2024
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. We get to celebrate a very special birthday today—The Spark just turned two!  Over the past couple of years, I’ve been bringing you all the news you need to know in climate…

The weeds are winning

October 10, 2024
On a languid, damp July morning, I meet weed scientist Aaron Hager outside the old Agronomy Seed House at the University of Illinois’ South Farm. In the distance are round barns built in the early 1900s, designed to withstand Midwestern windstorms. The sky is a formless white. It’s the day after a storm system hundreds…

This octopus-inspired adhesive can stick to just about anything

October 10, 2024
A new adhesive technology pays homage to one of nature’s strongest sources of suction: an octopus tentacle. Researchers replicated an octopus’s strong grip and controlled release to create a tool that manipulates a wide array of objects. It could help improve underwater construction methods or find application in everyday devices like an assistive glove.  Each…