Hacking The Planet

Geo-engineering is a relatively new topics when it comes to the sciences. It is an attempt to rewire the Earth's atmosphere in order to reverse global climate change and help save our planet. Hacking the Earth's climate is a topic of major debate however, due to the fact that all of the techniques that have been developed so far might have either short term or long term consequences. The thought of the Anthropocene, which is the idea that we have entered a new geological era in which humans influence is a dominant feature, is both frightening and interesting to think about. The research on geo-engineering is growing rapidly, and hopefully much more will be discovered in the near future. It might save all of our lives one day.
http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/12/hack-planet-geoengineering-research-ethics-explored

Valkyrie The Superhero Robot

The robot pictured is a humanoid robot named Valkyrie. It was made by NASA Johnson Space Center's robotics team. They were/are trying to create what their idea is of the best rescue robot for a disaster zone. So far it seems that they have created the most human friendly, lifelike robot of every team, and are well on their way to developing their hardware for the next challenge to all teams. The next challenge will be in two weeks, and it will involve all of the robots maneuvering through an obstacle course. The final challenge next December will be getting their robots to perform a group of tasks, just from downgraded communication systems that are already in them, because it is post-apocalyptic and the communication networks are down. The winning team will receive $2 million and get to begin developing the first robots to help build the first settlement on Mars.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/1211/Meet-Valkyrie-the-superhero-robot

Creating Fuel from Carbon Dioxide

Scientists in Chicago have been studying how to create a faster and more efficient way to create liquid fuels from carbon dioxide. Usually, the carbon dioxide used comes from the burning of hydrocarbons. These scientists have found it more practical to actually create fuel by converting carbon dioxide and water into fuel. They have created a catalyst that produces the carbon monoxide at a rate ten times faster than the current standard, and is much more efficient. One problem they are trying to solve is finding the best way to create energy for these reactions to take place. They need to create an artificial "leaf" that could both collect energy from the sun and undergo the reactions at the same time, staying stable the entire time. If their work pays off, it could mean cleaner, more efficient fuel production, which could even lead to cleaner and more efficient fuel consumption.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/522246/a-faster-and-more-efficient-way-to-convert-carbon-dioxide-into-fuel/