Articles by

Chris Baraniuk

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Is Having a Renaissance

In late November, in a quiet corner of Devon, England, workers began adding a secret, light brown...

Radiation-Detection Systems Are Quietly Running in the Background All Around You

The giant confinement building encapsulating the Chernobyl nuclear reactor that exploded nearly 40 years ago is smooth...

‘It Was Nuts’: The Extreme Tests that Show Why Hail Is a Multibillion-Dollar Problem

The scars left on houses look like shotgun blasts, sometimes. In the aftermath of major storms, Andrew...

British Churches Are Putting Their Faith in Heat Pumps

They gathered together on a sunny July evening, between the churchyard’s trees and leaning tombstones, to give...

How to Keep Subways and Trains Cool in an Ever Hotter World

The highest temperature that Jonathan Paul has ever recorded in a London Tube station is about 42...

‘People Are So Proud of This’: How River and Lake Water Is Cooling Buildings

The Louvre, one of the greatest art museums in the world—home to the Mona Lisa—has an uneasy...

The Plan to Send Plant-Filled ‘Gardens’ Into Orbit

It looks like some kind of seed pod or pine cone caught mid-explosion. At the center, there’s...

The Climate Crisis Threatens Supply Chains. Manufacturers Hope AI Can Help

When clothing designers place an order at Katty Fashion’s factory in Iași, Romania, they expect a bespoke...