11 Animals Named After U.S. Presidents

The study of taxonomy is often a slog. There are measurements to take, technical descriptions to write, and databases to parse—all tasks that require nothing short of meticulous, tireless precision. The naming of a new species, on the other hand, can be an exhilarating, even celebratory experience. Scientists have been known to christen their discoveries…

Read More

Air Pollution May Make Solar Panels Less Efficient

From inefficient grids, shortfalls in policy, and even the occasional eclipse, solar-energy collection faces no shortage of hurdles. Scientists have discovered another stumbling block: air pollution. In certain parts of the globe, the accumulation of particulate matter on solar panels can curtail energy output by more than 25 percent, according to a new study. Published…

Read More

Apparel’s Response to the U.S. Paris Agreement Exit

When President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Paris accord, effectively ending the country’s leadership on combating climate change, the backlash from the rest of the world was both immediate and vociferous. The United States is the planet’s biggest economy, as well as its second-largest producer…

Read More

This T-Shirt Changes Colors in Response to Water Pollution

Ocean acidification isn’t something that most folks lose sleep over. As a side effect of climate change, it doesn’t present a striking image the way a crack in the Antarctic ice shelf or a hurricane-battered coast might. But some problems need to be seen to be believed, so David de Rothschild, founder of the lifestyle…

Read More

Heady Days for Neil deGrasse Tyson: Astrophysicist Gets His Own Beer!

Neil deGrasse Tyson has plenty to raise a glass to this month. Not only did the famed astrophysicist become the first American to receive the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication on Tuesday, but he’s also getting his very own beer, courtesy of the Asheville Brewing Co. in North Carolina. An American version of the…

Read More

Why Transparency in the Fashion Industry Matters

For decades, brands have thrived on obfuscation and diversion. Pay no attention to the supply chain behind the curtain! Ignore the human-rights abuses that are responsible for this incredible bargain! Turn a blind eye to the environmental degradation that’s paying for this mind-blowingly cheap deal! But as the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh proved,…

Read More

Vivobarefoot is Launching a Sneaker Made From Algae

Vivobarefoot, a London-based purveyor of so-called “barefoot” footwear, is going green in an altogether unexpected way. Together with Bloom, a materials innovation firm from San Diego, the company is poised to debut the world’s first molded shoe derived from algae. No, swamp couture hasn’t suddenly become en vogue. Rather, Bloom harvests biomass from ponds and…

Read More

‘Star Wars’! 40 Surprising Facts from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

On May 25, 1977, a director named George Lucas gave the world its first glimpse of a galaxy far, far away. Who knew that a space opera about a farm boy who befriends a wizard and a smuggler pirate, frees a princess and liberates a galaxy would spawn a multibillion-dollar franchise and cultural touchstone? Not…

Read More

High Fashion Meets Vintage NASA in New ‘Coach Space’ Collection

NASA is having a fashion moment. Or, perhaps more accurately, fashion is having a NASA moment. Hot on the heels of Chanel’s interstellar-themed fashion show—and mock rocket launch—in March, Coach is feting a cosmically inspired collection of its own. An ode to “American dreamers and explorers who believe that anything is possible,” the luxury brand’s…

Read More

Fashion Brands Let Their Sustainable Fabrics Tell a Story

Polyester, polyester everywhere, and not a stitch to savor? If cheap synthetic fabric blends currently dominate clothing racks, they may not be de rigueur for much longer. As Racked pointed out last month, growing calls for supply-chain transparency mean that materials are no longer the immaterial concerns they used to be. Call it a side…

Read More