Nine years have passed since Google introduced the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, but the wait for the fourth-generation model is finally over. Today, the company unveiled its latest smart thermostat. It arrives on the same day as a next-gen version of Google's iconic Chromecast streaming dongle—now called the Google TV …
Read More »Each of the Past 12 Months Broke Temperature Records
June 2023 did not seem like an exceptional month at the time. It was the warmest June in the instrumental temperature record, but monthly records haven't exactly been unusual in a period where the top 10 warmest years on record all occurred in the past 15 years. And monthly records …
Read More »How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!
This Halloween, when you grab a candy bar, pay attention to the wrapper. In the United States, a "nutrition facts" label has been required for all packaged foods since 1994, giving the serving size and the amount of sugar, protein, fat, and sodium the food contains. But the most interesting …
Read More »September's Record-Shattering Heat Was ‘Absolutely Gobsmackingly Bananas’
The global temperature numbers for September are in, and they are not good. “This month was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist—absolutely gobsmackingly bananas,” Zeke Hausfather posted Tuesday on X (formerly known as Twitter). Kristina Dahl, principal climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, read that post …
Read More »How to Cool an Object Without Using Any Energy
This summer has been hot—one of the hottest on record—and it's probably just going to keep getting hotter. I feel like we are getting to the point where air-conditioning isn't just something nice to have, it's a necessity. There are several ways to cool things off, but the most common …
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