Environment & Sustainability

US energy chief Steven Chu calls on Stanford scientists to help fix global problems

chu_steven.jpgSecretary of Energy Steven Chu returned to Stanford recently, urging a crowd of more than 700 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to confront what he called "the energy challenge."

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High-altitude winds: The greatest source of concentrated energy on Earth

Windpower_Kite.jpgAt any moment, the winds in high-altitude jet streams hold roughly 100 times more energy than all the electricity being consumed on Earth, according to a study by Stanford environmental and climate scientists Cristina Archer and Ken Caldeira.

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Study highlights massive imbalances in global fertilizer use

corn_field2.jpgSynthetic fertilizers have dramatically increased food production worldwide. But the unintended costs to the environment and human health have been substantial.

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Research and teaching on sustainable aviation takes flight in AA department

airplane_new.jpgAir travel is projected to triple in the next 30 years. Stanford researchers are working to reduce the environmental impact of this increase by finding innovative ways to reduce aviation energy requirements and noise pollution.

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Deciding when to move plants and animals to save them from global warming

checkerspot_butterfly.jpgClimate change threatens hundreds of thousands of species, including the colorful San Francisco Bay checkerspot butterfly, with extinction. Now Stanford scientists are proposing when and how to save these vulnerable species by moving them to suitable new habitats.

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Airliners could save fuel by taking a hint from birds flying in formation

airplane_formation.jpgA team of five Stanford doctoral students has conceptualized a way for commercial planes to save fuel and reduce harmful engine emissions by flying in formation to reduce drag.

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Stanford's Woods Institute awards new round of Environmental Venture Projects

kelp.jpgThe Woods Institute for the Environment has awarded four new Environmental Venture Projects (EVP) grants for interdisciplinary research aimed at finding practical solutions promoting global sustainability. Four Stanford University faculty teams will receive a total of $791,692 over the next two years to tackle environmental challenges, from the desert grasslands of Australia to the mountain meadows of California.

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Stanford scientists find heat-tolerant coral reefs that may resist climate change

coral_reef2.jpgStanford scientists have found evidence that some coral reefs are adapting to higher ocean temperatures and may actually survive global warming.

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Bioelectricity promises more 'miles per acre' than ethanol

bioelectricity_car.jpgUsing biofuel crops such as corn or switchgrass to generate electricity for running battery-powered vehicles is a far more efficient way of producing energy than making ethanol with them, according to Stanford researchers.

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High-pressure compound could be key to hydrogen-powered vehicles

hydrogen_car.jpgA hydrogen-rich compound discovered by Stanford researchers is packed with promise of helping overcome one of the biggest hurdles to using hydrogen for fuel.

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  • With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases. Now, thanks to social networking sites, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet. This sounds relatively harmless, but according to Stanford bioethicists, sharing genetic information online raises a host of ethical questions.

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