In The News

Westward Ho: Asians March Into Africa – Part II

Loro Horta March 18, 2011
In terms of natural resources, Africa is one of the richest continents, luring explorers, colonists and investors since the 15th century. Emerging economies, foreign-aid agencies, energy and mining corporations continue that quest today. This two-part YaleGlobal series examines the implications of these engagements for sustainability and sovereignty of the African nations. Mozambique, though not...

Turning Old Oil Into New Mileage

David L. Chandler March 18, 2011
Interest in hunting garbage piles for any reusables – a common job in the developing world – has spread to wealthier nations, attracting attention and innovation awards from the world’s most elite universities. Students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taken the notion one step further. Working with catadores cooperatives in Brazil, a MIT biodiesel team started a project called...

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

Keith Bradsher, Hiroko Tabuchi March 16, 2011
In a disaster, society often depends on a few courageous individuals who risk their lives to stabilize equipment and minimize damage. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan battered the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, adding new dangers to operations that had already carried ample risks. Most staff was evacuated, but a small crew volunteered to stay behind, working with flashlights and last...

How Japan's Quake Disaster May Damage Tech Business

Kit Eaton March 16, 2011
First and foremost, the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and then breakdown of nuclear reactors are horrific tragedies. Most of the globe focuses on the loss of human life, numbering in the tens of thousands, with many more displaced. Every day, reports emerge about how the tragedy will affect the rest of the globe in numerous ways. Global businesses and consumers will soon realize just how much they...

Solasta, Chapter One

David Reich March 10, 2011
Tech startups often involve suspenseful tales about the race against time. Inventors must produce fast results or risk losing funding. Such was the case with Solasta, a startup photovoltaics company started by three Boston College professors, including two US immigrants who grew up in Poland and China. The product aimed to transform solar cells: nano-scale antennas, coatings and conductors,...

UK Consumers Add Solar Panels to Shopping Lists

Nina Chestney March 7, 2011
Low-cost energy is one of life’s conveniences – so convenient with a flick of a switch that most consumers don’t understand how power generation works. Even those aware of the value of alternative energy are in the dark as to where they can purchase their own renewable systems or how to install. But small solar-power systems are about to join cookware and other products on the home-and-garden...

Putting Poppies in the Gas Tank

Nicholas Schmidle March 1, 2011
The global demand for opium fuels poppy production in Afghanistan, which funds the Taliban. For years, the US military worked to eradicate poppy crops. But US veterans doing contract work in Afghanistan pointed out that poppies could be used for biofuel. The veterans drew on research from Tasmania, home to the world’s largest legal poppy fields, reports Michael Schmidle for the Atlantic, and...