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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 22 declined, 13 accepted (35 total, 37.14% accepted)

Submission + - Tesla's highly-anticipated solar roofs go up for pre-order today (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: Get ready: Tesla's ground-breaking Solar Roof tiles are available for order in the US starting today. In typical fashion, CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter that the anticipated tech would be available to order this afternoon with installation happening later this year. Tesla's tiles look like traditional roof tiles but they soak up all that delicious sunlight in order to power your home. According to the company, the tiles will be more affordable than typical roofing and can be paired with their Powerwall battery to power a home completely using solar energy.

Submission + - MIT creates 3D-printing robot that can construct a home off-grid in 14 hours (mit.edu)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: Home building hasn't changed much over the years, but leave it to MIT to take things to the next level. A new technology built at MIT can construct a simple dome structure in 14 hours and it's powered by solar panels, so you can take it to remote areas. MIT's 3D-printing robot can construct the entire basic structure of a building and can be customized to fit the local terrain in ways that traditional methods can't do. It even has a built-in scoop so it can prepare the building site and gather its own construction materials.

Submission + - Scientists capture first image of dark matter web (inhabitat.com) 1

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: Scientists have long suspected that the universe is woven together by a vast cosmic connector but, until now, they couldn't prove it. Now, for the first time ever, scientists have captured an image of a dark matter bridge, confirming the theory that galaxies are held together by a cosmic web. Using a technique called weak gravitational lensing, researchers were able to identify distortions of distant galaxies as they are influenced by a large, unseen mass — in this case, a web of dark matter.

Submission + - Scientists have a crazy plan to re-freeze the Arctic (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: In case you've been under a rock for the past 20 years, the Arctic is melting super fast. Certain *ahem* governments are dragging their feet doing anything about it, which means the planet could be in for a spectacular meltdown within the next 20 years. But a clever bunch of scientists have hatched a plan to re-freeze the Arctic using wind-powered pumps that will bring water to the surface, allowing it to freeze. This new layer of ice could last well into the summer, which is vital, because scientists think summer Arctic ice could be gone by 2030, and that causes a whole chain of terrible events that will only make our climate change problem much, much worse. The plan has a $500 billion price tag, but that's pocket change compared to the cost of dealing with an ice-free Arctic.

Submission + - Sweden is testing out one of the world's first electric roads. (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: Electric vehicles are cool, but for industrial vehicles, it can be a challenge to get very far on just electric power. That's why Sweden is testing out an electric road where e-vehicles can jump on, get juiced while they travel, and get back on the road. The country just opened a two kilometer test stretch in Sandviken on the E16 where electric vehicles can connect to an overhead system that is very similar to light rail. It's another exciting step towards a fossil fuel-free Sweden.

Submission + - Plastic-eating bacteria could help clean up waste (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: Scientists have discovered a microorganism that literally devours ocean-clogging plastic. The bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis can completely break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a super common plastic used in bottles and containers that makes up a huge part of all the plastic waste in the world. Now scientists just need to figure out how to harness the hungry little bug to recycle plastic and reduce pollution.

Submission + - Scientists turn paper waste into aerogel (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: A team of scientists have successfully turned paper waste into aerogel. Aerogels are used in insulation, and they are usually made out of polymers and silica. But a research team at the National University of Singapore managed to make the highly sought-after product using recycled paper, which could have huge implications not only for the rate at which we are filling up our landfills, but also for the amount of chemicals that we are producing and releasing into the environment.

Submission + - Hurricane-resistant SURE HOUSE wins the 2015 Solar Decathalon (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: The SURE HOUSE, designed and built by the Stevens Institute of Technology, was announced today as the winner of the 2015 Solar Decathlon. The uber-efficient house exceeds Passive House standards and uses less than 10-percent of the energy that a standard house consumes. But beyond solar-powered efficiency, the house is also designed to be open and breezy when the weather is good, but when a hurricane strikes, the house can be locked tight against the onslaught. In fact, it's so tough that it can act as a solar powered community center for an area hit by a natural disaster. Congratulations to the SURE HOUSE team!

Submission + - 3 category 4 hurricanes develop in the Pacific at once for the first time (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: For the first time in recorded history, three category 4 hurricanes developed in the Pacific at the same time. We've all heard that climate change is going to create some seriously scary weather situations, and this recent storm trio gives us a peak at the future to come. Eric Blake, a specialist with the National Hurricane Center summed it up on Saturday with a tweet: “Historic central/eastern Pacific outbreak- 3 major hurricanes at once for the first time on record!"

Submission + - World's first off-grid home Ecocapsule to hit the market this year (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: If you dream of living totally off-the-grid anywhere in the world, you need to get your hands on this home. Nice Architects just unveiled their incredible egg-shaped Ecocapsule, and announced that the tiny solar and wind-powered dwelling will be available for sale later this year, with units shipping in spring 2016.

Submission + - Philips is revolutionizing urban farming with new GrowWise indoor farm (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: With arable land dwindling and the cost — both economically and environmentally — of growing and transporting food increasing, it's time to redefine farming. So Philips is creating a revolution with their new GrowWise indoor farm, which uses customized "light recipes" in high-tech cells to grow plants that don't need pesticides or chlorine washes, and use a fraction of the water that traditional farming requires. The system can churn out 900 pots of basil a year in just one square meter of floor space, and bees keep things humming year-round for farming that is truly local, even in the middle of a city.

Submission + - California votes to ban microbeads (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Kristine Lofgren
Kristine Lofgren writes: The California Assembly just passed a vote to ban toxic microbeads, the tiny flecks found in toothpastes and exfoliants. Microbeads cause a range of problems, from clogging waterways to getting stuck in gums. The ban would be the strictest of its kind in the nation.

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