Photo: Michael Graham Richard
The Little Car that Could
The Toyota Prius hybrid has been sold in the U.S. for 10 years (even longer in Japan, where it was first introduced in 1997), and during that decade this car went from a small niche player considered 'weird' by most people (I remember back when the #1 question was "do you have to plug it in?") to a best-seller halo car whose technology has found its way in many other models, including vehicles made by Toyota's competitors. During that decade in the U.S., Toyota has sold about 900,000 Prius hybrids there, and about 1.8 million w...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Photo: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
Stargazing has been popular since that day our ancestors learned to look up at the sky and wonder, "what's out there?" Now, thanks to modern developments like space telescopes, orbiting satellites, high-tech space stations and observatories, we can see the universe (and our earthly home) like never before.
These stunning images of far away galaxies and other astronomical beauties -- and the fascinating stories behind them -- are for those wh...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image via Unplggd
While back we showed you an iPhone app that lets you customize nature sounds to chill out to. You could choose a basic theme, like the ocean, and boost up the crashing waves or tone down the seagull calls to get just the right mix to create a personalized relaxing soundscape. For those of us who aren't iPhone users, we now have a similar free tool for our computers thanks to Nature Sounds....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Nissan Leaf battery. Photo: Nissan
Matching the Chevy Volt
As predicted here, Nissan has decided to match GM and offer a 8-year/100k miles warranty on the battery pack of its LEAF electric car. It will be great for early adopters who will have one less thing to worry about (at least for the first 8 years or 100k miles), and it will be great for the transition to electrified transportation....Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image via New Scientist
Japan's IKAROS spacecraft is a pioneering technology for solar sailing. The ship launched in May and is the first one to be propelled entirely by sunlight. It manages to steer itself by using just the pressure of sunlight on "smart glass." Check out a video of the sail in movement. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
