Energy

Energy

Aerial view of a large, modern data center complex with two main rectangular buildings separated by a central road, surrounded by fields and parking areas.
The AI energy debate focuses on supply — but smarter planning could deliver more computing from the same megawatts.
Cadence
Illustration of Earth overlaid with a grid and energy types from the Kardashev Scale: Type I, II, and III, representing planetary, stellar, and galactic energy usage.
The famous framework ranks civilizations by energy use — but ignores a critical factor that can halt their progress.
Abstract illustration of a person running, shown in silhouette with layered, wavy bands of green, blue, black, and yellow in the background.
A Columbia researcher argues that everything from stress to aging comes down to how energy moves through your body.
A fork holds a piece of lettuce, partially obscured by a bright yellow glow against a dark background.
A growing movement is trying to turn energy directly into food — reviving an old dream of escaping the violence and inefficiency of eating.
Illustration of a person lying inside a low battery icon, using a phone with a yellow screen, against a dark blue and black background with neon accents.
Your energy doesn’t work like a battery — and treating it that way may be why you still feel tired even after a break.
Illustration of server racks, a yellow high voltage warning sign, a green dollar symbol, and faint graphs in the background.
Data centers consume enormous amounts of power, but their steady demand could make the grid more efficient — and lower costs for everyone.
Night view of a city skyline with illuminated skyscrapers and a bridge, home to a self-healing power grid, all reflected in the water below.
A new generation of self-healing tools could make the U.S.'s aging power grid far more resilient against modern threats.
A hand holds up a small gold trophy against a dramatic sky with lightning and a burst of light, symbolizing victory when you lead with love.
When leaders embrace positive personal energy, everyone feels the benefits — in trust, innovation and creativity.
Stellar explosion
Many reactions emit energy, often in large amounts, but cosmic efficiency is another metric altogether. Here's how to maximize your output.
Two people sit in wicker chairs outdoors, holding microphones and having a conversation about energy abundance. Other people are visible in the blurred background.
Barriers to energy abundance — and how to overcome them — were front and center at Progress Conference 2025.
Sunlight, like a quantum sun, streams through tree branches, casting golden rays over a calm lake.
Despite the Sun's high core temperatures, atomic nuclei repel each other too strongly to fuse together. Good thing for quantum physics!
A digital rendering of a black hole with a glowing, distorted light accretion disk around its event horizon in space, set against a pitch-black background.
A recent paper in the journal Physical Review Letters claims to prove that a "kugelblitz" is not possible.
Elderly man examining a blood pressure monitor at a table.
During the industrial era the cost of artificial light fell off a cliff — and the road to illumination was paved with ingenuity and slaughter.
overview effect
Figuring out the answer involved a prism, a pail of water, and a 50 year effort by the most famous father-son astronomer duo ever.
A diagram illustrating the various phases and motion of a star, with a particular focus on zero-point energy.
The term "zero-point energy" has at least two meanings, one that is innocuous and one that is a great deal sexier (and scammier).
A lithium deposit on a red surface
McDermitt Caldera, the site of an ancient volcanic eruption, straddles the border of Oregon and Nevada.
The world set free by Rachel Wells, inspired by Oppenheimer.
Science fiction met nuclear fission when Hungarian physicist Leó Szilárd pondered the explosive potential of nuclear energy.
photosynthesis plants
All biological systems are wildly disordered. Yet somehow, that disorder enables plant photosynthesis to be nearly 100% efficient.
The biggest nuclear blast in history came courtesy of Tsar Bomba. We could make something at least 100 times more powerful.
ivy mike nuclear test
Einstein's most famous equation is E = mc², which describes the rest mass energy inherent to particles. But motion matters for energy, too.
negative energy
Quantum mechanics has taught us that even empty space contains energy. "Negative energy" is the state of having less energy than empty space.
Some solar cells are so lightweight they can sit on a soap bubble.
ophiuchus x-ray largest explosion cavity
Ever since the Big Bang, cataclysmic events have released enormous amounts of energy. Here's the greatest one ever witnessed.
3mins
Economist Tyler Cowen says there are good reasons to be crypto-skeptical.
changesite
It could one day fuel nuclear fusion reactors.
zaporizhzhia
The war in Ukraine is unlikely to trigger a catastrophic nuclear meltdown. Physics and smart engineering are the reasons why.
uranium seawater
The new material may make marine uranium extraction economically feasible.
cement
Scientists turn to nature to improve a ubiquitous building material.