Dutch scientists pipe office urine into bacteria-filled cells that generate electricity and recover nitrogen and phosphorus, while a related system can produce hydrogen
Meet Rachel Chen, the 18-year-old Los Angeles student who expanded a 1997 quantum-math idea to describe entire particle systems with simple diagrams; she won $100,000
In 1996, NOAA scientists pumped 2 dyes beneath Key Largo to learn where groundwater went; 18 days later, 2 bay-side wells showed it flowed toward the Atlantic
Scientists used centuries-old aurora sightings to reconstruct 8 solar cycles from 1560 to 1640; their method placed solar minima within 2 years with more than 90% reliability
All known life uses 4 DNA letters; UC San Diego showed an existing bacterial enzyme can accurately read and transcribe 8, doubling the genetic alphabet with synthetic letters
In 2018, scientists seeded clouds over China's Muz Taw Glacier to make snow; the brighter surface was followed by 14% to 17% less ice loss in a preliminary experiment