Are You One of Them? When I was a kid, I prided myself on being smart. I was a nerd, the teacher’s pet, little miss know-it-all. I had no idea how annoying that must have been for everyone else around me (sorry, Meadowbrook Elementary School), but being smart was part…

How one company is harnessing the power of biomimicry to fight climate change — Concrete is one of the most consumed materials in the world, but our dependence on it comes at a cost. The concrete industry accounts for 8 percent of total global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. Efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of concrete have failed to make a substantial…

Finding purpose in having no purpose at all I’m writing this during one of the late winter storms that are common to Colorado. By tomorrow morning, there will be a half foot of new snow on the ground. …

Remineralization on the Isle of Jersey — The island of Jersey juts out of the English Channel just off the coast of Normandy, France. The people who live there don’t consider themselves part of the UK any more than they consider themselves part of France. …

Discovering life on another planet may turn out to be no big deal — As I’m writing this on February 18th, 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover is getting used to its new surroundings after successfully touching down on the surface of Mars. Scientists will use the rover to look for evidence of life on the red planet and secure samples to return to Earth for…

XPrize Carbon Removal aims to sequester 10 gigatons of CO2 per year by 2050 — The XPrize Foundation recently announced the largest prize in its history. The foundation partnered with Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation to offer $100M for innovations designed to reduce carbon dioxide in the air and oceans. Registration for XPrize Carbon Removal begins on Earth Day 2021. The contest aims to…

How scientists track down clues to Earth’s history — Geology is a forensic science. It doesn’t easily lend itself to experimentation, leaving geologists with observation as their primary tool of investigation. Yet our planet is notoriously good at covering its own tracks. If a crime was committed a billion years ago, plate tectonics and erosion have likely removed any…

Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your savings — If you’re self-employed, you already have a lot to worry about besides retirement planning. You fulfill every role in your company from the executive suite to the cleaning crew. Absolutely nothing gets done unless you do it yourself. Most of these roles probably aren’t your specialty either, and tackling them…

Space is cold, empty, and arguably more hospitable than Earth in 2020 — As I reflect back on this year, I can’t help but ask myself, “isn’t 2020 over yet?” The pace might be glacial, but we’re getting there. Truthfully, it hasn’t been all bad. …