As a part of my continuing Q&A series, I am pleased to announce that Sally Kuhn Sennert, compiler and author of the weekly Global Volcanism Program Volcanic Activity Reports, is the next up to take your questions. A little bit about Sally:

Eco Factor: System to model a building’s energy performance.

We often see architectural firms come up with proposals that are being claimed to be zero-emissions with an array of photovoltaic modules and ingenious water harvesting systems. But...

James Kaelan, a Los Angeles author has come up with a novel idea to promote his new book “We’re Getting On,” that strongly argues for reducing carbon emissions. Applying the book’s philosophy, the eco-conscious writer along with his childhood...

The latest report from the National Climatic Data Center reminds us that the planet is continuing to warm as expected. Most of the attention will be afforded to the global picture, for good reason:

News for Monday!

Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, showing the dark lava flows of basaltic andesite on the slopes of the young volcanic cone. Image by Erik Klemetti, taken January 2009.

Many studies have already shown that single-walled carbon nanotubes are capable of absorbing light and converting it into heat. But, it seems like researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing aren’t really satisfied with it. So, they have taken...

It has been a quiet week, volcanically-speaking that is. Maybe they're all watching the World Cup, but there hasn't been a lot of new and exciting news to report this week. So, I thought this might be a good time to bring back Mystery Volcano Photo! Now, for those of you just joining us, I post a volcano photo and you have to identify it. The first person to get it right scores a point. We haven't done an MVP in a while (mostly because you all are too good at it), so to refresh our memories, the current standings:

At my house today it was 82 and humid. It is hot, but there's a breeze, and shade from the trees. The air is heavy and moist, but rich and green and earthy as well, and my house stays cool downstairs. In New York City today, the temperature was above 90, and I can still smell, from my childhood in other cities, that shimmering hot urban mix of garbage, asphalt and pollution. Don't get me wrong - I love cities. But hot town, summer in the city is not always when urban life's virtues shine.

British kids can more easily identify Japanese cars than native plants and animals, says moderator, Robert Draper here at the Aspen Environment Forum, sponsored by the National Geographic and the Aspen Institute.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have made a breakthrough by creating a small gold “light mill.” Although inspired by the windmill, this new tetra-gammadion shaped light mill made from gold works very differently. Unlike the...