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