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Media Platforms Design TeamThe devastation wrought by an epic Mississippi River flood nearly a century ago—more than 500 people dead, another 700,000 displaced and 26,000 square miles underwater—inspired Randy Newman to compose the poignant song, And now, as the Mississippi River flirts with levels and flow rates not seen in decades, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will try to avoid any kind of encore of that long-ago flood as they rely on an enormous infrastructure system unknown to most Americans outside of southern Louisiana....

Media Platforms Design TeamCredit: SpaceXAt the moment, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is docked with the International Space Station, having carried a load of cargo into orbit. But the Sunday evening launch wasn’t perfect: For reasons that weren’t entirely clear, one of the nine engines on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket failed.Today SpaceX issued a statement saying the company and NASA would form a CRS-1 Post-Flight Investigation Board to try to find out exactly what caused the engine failure....

Media Platforms Design TeamMIT scientists have invented a spongy substance that can convert solar energy into steam. The research, published in Nature Communications, may open up new ways to purify water and sterilize medical devices in remote regions. The steel-wool lookalike material is made of two layers: a carbon foam that floats in water, and a top layer of graphite flakes that heats up when sunlight hits it. Water flows up through the foam and quickly turns to steam when it reaches the graphite hotspot....

Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamDETROIT — Here’s our latest look at what the Corvette folks have been working up for the ultra-fast coupe class, the 2009 Corvette SS. At least SS is the name most used in referring to this 600-plus-hp, supercharged beauty. You might think it looks like today’s Corvette, except for the tape over the fenders and the black covering on the hood. But you’d be wrong....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has just released a 292-page report that is supposed to clarify the murky debate over drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska. But it’s conclusion seems to be that there’s still a great amount we just don’t know. More than a year ago, after the federal government announced it favored expanded drilling in the outer continental shelf, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ordered this study a year ago to identify the gaps in scientific or technical knowledge about how drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas north of Alaska would affect the region....

Media Platforms Design TeamAny day now, five people will toss one of the world’s most sophisticated remote-control planes into the air at the U.S. Army’s proving ground in Yuma, Ariz. It’s the latest incarnation of QinetiQ’s Zephyr, a solar-powered, high-altitude unmanned machine that unofficially . It flew for 3.5 days. Now, its creators hope to break that record with the latest design tweaks. Their end goal is to fly for three months....

Media Platforms Design TeamIt’s official: the U.S.-bound version of the Fiat Doblo van (seen below) will be called the Ram ProMaster City when it arrives in early 2015. More details are expected to come at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this coming January, but it’s safe to assume that the City will get a styling update similar to the big ProMaster before it goes on sale.Along with the Fiat 500L and 500X, the ProMaster City is based on Fiat-Chrysler’s Small Wide platform architecture, so it’s likely that the commercial van will be powered by an existing four-cylinder engine (or engines) from the company’s North American lineup....

View full post on YoutubeMistletoe, flying a drone inside a crowded building, going to a TGI Friday’s—sometimes bad ideas come together to form something greater than themselves.Sometimes, though, you just get hit in the nose by a drone.A writer and photographer from the Brooklyn Daily had gone to the TGI Friday’s in that borough’s neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay to check out the Mobile Mistletoe, a drone that carries the romantic flora over the heads of dining couples to put them in the smooching spirit....

Media Platforms Design TeamOrange Solar TentThe contest entry that got some of the loudest oos and ahs from the crowd was the Orange Solar Tent from Kaleidoscope. Designed to be a glowing beacon in the night at the Glastonbury arts festival in England, the tent provides comfortable evening lighting, making it easier to navigate camp when the sun goes down. The solar panels also store up enough charge during the day to provide power for electronic devices....

IDAHODIFFICULTY: Easy to moderateVEHICLE: High-clearance 2WD or 4WDLENGTH: 206 miles; 4 days/3 nightsTake the Bait: South-central Idaho is the perfect place to fuel a Rocky Mountain tour with bait and tackle. The route – pavement and rough forest road – twists and turns through the convoluted Lost River range and Pioneer Mountains, scaling passes and dropping into canyons. At waterside camps, anglers reel in bass from Anderson Ranch Reservoir and trout from Copper Basin lakes and Mahogany Creek....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe kettle of the future will look nothing like the kettle of the present. Rather than using a steaming cauldron to heat up more water than you need, the Miito is an innovative rod-and-plate contraption that combats wastefulness of water and electricity.Simply place a non-metallic glass or bowl on the sleek black platform and drop the heating rod in the water (milk, soup and other liquids also work)....

Media Platforms Design Team style=“border:thin solid #cccccc;">The Canadian Oil Rush Alberta’s Oil Sands* Alberta’s Oil Sands Slideshow* Using Nukes To Extract Oil: Time Machine 1960The Oil Sands in Alberta, Canada, are being mined to produce thousands of barrels of oil daily, but it’s a dirty, difficult job. The environmental impact is significant, but it could be worse. Forty-seven years ago PM ran an article on the Atomic Energy Commission’s Plowshare Program, which looked into using nuclear bombs for energy and industrial purposes....

What do you get when you throw a GoPro into a room full of astronauts in zero gravity? The ultimate distraction, apparently. Media Platforms Design TeamAstronauts at the International Space Station are hard at work bringing 3-D footage of their projects to viewers at home with NASA’s 3-D camera program. This video in particular features a GoPro camera being submerged in a ball of water and a group of giddy astronauts regressing to their 13-year-old selves....

Media Platforms Design Team MOAB, Utah — When we heard that Hummer’s new H3T would come with the option of Eaton electronic locking differentials in each axle, we got excited. Locking differentials allow for true four-wheel drive. Open or limited-slip diffs merely direct the torque back and forth across an axle—the wheels slip as they hunt for grip. They’re not lockers, they put the power to the ground. And up until now, the H3 has had only one locker, in the rear axle....

Media Platforms Design Team DETROIT — The all-new 2009 Venza is way more car-like than any other large Toyota crossover—you can think of it as the way bigger brother to the Matrix-or a tall Camry station wagon. The Venza design shifts away from the more traditional SUV styling cues that tend to dominate the segment. From the distinctive grill to the aerodynamic styled body, the Toyota newbie has an aggressive, yet refined appearance....

Media Platforms Design Team1. A little glue runover around a wood joint is a good thing–it let’s you know that there’s adequate coverage on the mating surfaces. However, it’ll look awful when it dries. Instead of wiping it away, wait until it sets, then use a sharp chisel to peel it cleanly from the wood.2. When applying glue to a mating surface, you can reduce squeeze out by using your finger to push excess glue away from the edges....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo by Mike Kemp/Getty Images)There’s a perfect summer storm brewing, and it’s going to dramatically increase the cost of keeping our homes cool. First, many parts of the country have already experienced record-high temperatures, with the recent Southwest heat wave killing at least one–and summer has just begun. Second, as electricity rates continue their upward spiral, it’s going cost more to run air conditioners. Finally, skyrocketing gas prices threaten to reduce vacation travel, meaning more families will be staying home this summer....

Media Platforms Design TeamMicroorganisms are multitalented. The same kinds of bacteria used in wastewater treatment plants can also generate small amounts of electricity. But these two abilities have rarely been combined so cleverly.In a study published last week, Penn State University researchers outlined a system called the microbial reverse electrolysis cell (MRC) that both cleans water and creates electricity. Today it’s too expensive for practical applications in the field, but it opens up the possibility not only for more efficient wastewater cleanup, but also for hybrid water-treatment and power plants that can do both....

In the science of skateboard propulsion, there have been no major advancements since the invention of the human leg. Until now, that is. With Tony Ward’s KRANK PowerStik, all you need is a power drill and your skateboard can cruise the street or sidewalk at speeds of up to 14 miles per hour—depending, of course, on your weight, the power of your drill, and the incline of your riding surface. Watch a video demo below....

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew was on a routine training flight near Seward, Alaska, last week when they got a call from the state troopers that a small helicopter had gone down in the nearby mountains. It took the Coast Guard crew just 10 minutes to reach the crash site and spot the destroyed aircraft—a Robinson R-44—rolled on its side at 3,600 feet in a small depression along a ridgeline....