Solar-powered device extracts freshwater and lithium from the sea

A physicist borrowed a trick from spilled coffee to build laser-etched solar panels that pull fresh water from the ocean without producing toxic brine

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Anthropocene Magazine

Europe’s energy crisis has a silver lining: It just made going green a lot cheaper

High fossil fuel prices have flipped the math on renewable energy. New research shows that accelerating Europe's green transition by a decade could now pay for itself—and then some.

Sarah DeWeerdt·Jun 9, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

New US dietary guidelines would worsen carbon emissions and land use

Updated federal dietary guidelines finally take on ultra-processed junk food—but the push for more animal protein quietly erases every environmental gain, and then some.

Emma Bryce·Jun 8, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

Coal plants are dimming the world’s solar panels

Pollution from coal plants is canceling out roughly a third of every year's new solar capacity. The fix is obvious. The phase-out isn't.

Anthropocene Team·May 21, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

The unlikely ingredient that cleans wastewater and turns it into fertilizer: Bubbles.

Scientists discovered that plasma bubbles strip contaminants from industrial wastewater while locking in nitrogen. Garlic that grew in it nearly doubled in size.

Emma Bryce·May 22, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

A landmark MIT study debunks persistent myths about electric vehicles

Think EVs don't make sense in cold climates, or that a dirty power grid cancels out the benefits? Researchers find the opposite is true—and that EVs cost no more to own than a comparable gas car almost anywhere in the U.S.

Sarah DeWeerdt·May 26, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

A shock to the system could slash cement’s emissions

By using electricity and recycled materials, researchers made a cement that cuts energy use by 70% and carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 98% compared with traditional cement production

Anthropocene Team·May 28, 2026