Futurity

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Futurity covers research news from the top universities in the US, UK, Canada and Australia

Latest articles from Futurity

• Study Finds no Trace of Fracking Fluid in Arkansas Drinking Water

  Published 16 May 2013 | viewed 1,274 times

  Samples from drinking water wells show no evidence of groundwater contamination from shale gas production in Arkansas.“Our results show no discernible impairment of groundwater quality…

• Survey Shows Public Support Fracking, but Only with Tighter Regulation

  Published 15 May 2013 | viewed 916 times

  Most Michigan and Pennsylvania residents say hydrofracking is good for the economy, but also have concerns about chemicals used and other environmental risks, a new…

• Natural Gas Seeps May Contribute Significantly to Greenhouse Gas Levels

  Published 14 May 2013 | viewed 1,373 times

  Natural gas in underground rock layers can seep to the surface—sometimes in quantities abundant enough to produce “eternal flames.”Researchers say much remains to be learned…

• Fish Embryos Reveal that Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Still Lingers

  Published 08 May 2013 | viewed 2,066 times

  After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, crude oil toxicity continued to sicken a sentinel Gulf Coast fish species for at least a year or more,…

• Politics Still Rules the Climate Change Debate in the US

  Published 02 May 2013 | viewed 1,209 times

  US residents who believe in the scientific consensus on global warming are more likely to support government action to curb emissions, regardless of political party.…

• Survey Shows Fracking Communities Suffer from Stress Due to Fear of Exploitation

  Published 30 April 2013 | viewed 1,736 times

  In a new survey, 76 percent of people living near fracking sites in Pennsylvania reported stress, which they attributed to lack of trust and feeling…

• NASA Funds Research into Fusion Powered Rocket for Deep Space Travel

  Published 14 April 2013 | viewed 2,320 times

  Scientists are building components of a fusion-powered rocket aimed to clear many of the hurdles that block deep space travel, including long times in transit,…

• Solar Industry Finally Producing More Energy than it Consumes

  Published 03 April 2013 | viewed 2,392 times

  The electricity generated by solar photovoltaic panels has probably just surpassed the amount of energy used to make them, researchers say.The rapid growth of the…

• Making Recyclable Solar Cells from Trees

  Published 27 March 2013 | viewed 1,679 times

  Fabricating new plant-based solar cells on cellulose nanocrystal substrates means that they’re recyclable in water.The researchers report that the organic solar cells reach a power…

• Using CO2 to Create Polyester Fabrics

  Published 23 March 2013 | viewed 1,499 times

  Chemists have identified a cheaper and more sustainable method for producing acrylate, a chemical used to make materials from polyester fabrics to diapers.Chemical companies churn…

• Calculating the True Carbon Footprint of a Renewable Energy Grid

  Published 18 March 2013 | viewed 2,658 times

  Scientists have developed a new way to calculate the carbon footprint of batteries needed to store wind and solar power for the electrical grid. A key…

• Barnett Shale Formation Forecast to be a Major Contributor to US Natural Gas

  Published 07 March 2013 | viewed 1,569 times

  New analysis of the natural gas production potential of the Barnett shale foresees slowly declining production through the year 2030 and beyond.This forecast has broad…

• Synching the US Power Grid to Protect Against Blackouts

  Published 06 March 2013 | viewed 2,206 times

  Even as the demand for electricity grows, new guidelines could help improve power grid reliability and reduce electricity cost, researchers say. President Obama, in this…

• Biofuel Breakthrough? Scientists Modify Plants to Store Oil in Leaves

  Published 27 February 2013 | viewed 1,746 times

  Chubby caterpillars show that scientists have engineered a plant with oily leaves, an advance that could enhance biofuel production and lead to improved food for…

• Do Key Volcanoes Control Earth's Climate Cycles?

  Published 12 February 2013 | viewed 2,455 times

  Volcanoes at key locations where enormous amounts of carbon dioxide are poised for release may have driven Earth’s back and forth between greenhouse and icehouse…

• Massive Growth in Wastewater from Fracking Industry

  Published 23 January 2013 | viewed 2,427 times

  The amount of wastewater from natural gas production in the Marcellus shale region has increased by about 570 percent since 2004 as a result of…

• Marginal Lands: Unfit for Food Crops, but Perfect for Biofuel Plants

  Published 20 January 2013 | viewed 1,815 times

  Land unfit for food crops can be prime real estate for biofuel plants—and could produce an estimated 5.5 billion gallons of ethanol in the Midwest…

• Sell US Coal to China and Watch Carbon Emissions Fall

  Published 16 January 2013 | viewed 2,442 times

  Exporting coal from the western US to China could actually lower overall greenhouse gas emissions, an energy economist argues.Western US coal companies looking to expand…

• Obama Faces a Tough Task to Put a Million EVs on the Road by 2015

  Published 09 January 2013 | viewed 2,824 times

  The Obama administration’s goal of putting a million plug-in electric vehicles on the roads by 2015 may be a tough sell, say researchers.But, the new…

• New Charging Algorithm can Extend Battery Life for Electric Vehicles

  Published 07 January 2013 | viewed 2,220 times

  A new charging algorithm could extend battery life for the first all-electric, battery-powered locomotive in the US.Batteries for Norfolk Southern Railway No. 999, just like…