Sat.May 22, 2021

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The story of science fiction and society

Physics World

Rachel Carson ’s Silent Spring – the famous 1962 book on the devastating impact of pesticides like DDT – is credited with revitalizing the environmental movement. It also helped to accelerate the transition of science journalism from its former stance as largely uncritical cheerleader to something more like a “watchdog” of the fourth estate, as well as paving the way for the founding of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

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Warming Trends: What Happens Once We Stop Shopping, Nano-Devices That Turn Waste Heat into Power and How Your Netflix Consumption Warms the Planet

Inside Climate News

A column highlighting climate-related studies, innovations, books, cultural events and other developments from the global warming frontier. By Katelyn Weisbrod What would happen if we all stopped shopping? What would change in that first hour, day, week or year after people halted purchasing more than they absolutely needed? How would our society, economy and planet react?

Waste 77
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3D printing technique keeps brittle tungsten crack-free

Physics World

Tungsten has many excellent properties. It resists corrosion, and its melting point of 3422 °C is the highest of all metals, making it an ideal material for components that operate at extreme temperatures. There is a problem, though: it is highly brittle at room temperature, which means it is hard to process using conventional techniques. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have now addressed this problem by adapting an additive manufacturing technique called el