All Shorts
Newest first. Each one links to a write-up with the extra context and every source.
The Panama Files · Part 1
The Panama Files, Part 1: The Vote
In 1879, a room in Paris voted on how to build a canal across Panama. Only 19 of the yes votes came from engineers, and only one had ever been to Central America.
· 20 sources
Standalone
Iceland Fought a Volcano With Seawater, and Won (Heimaey 1973)
In 1973, lava was swallowing an Icelandic fishing town and heading for its harbor. So they sprayed it with the ocean, for five months.
· 22 sources
Standalone
NASA Studied Launching Our Nuclear Waste Into the Sun
Starting in the 1970s, NASA studied getting rid of nuclear waste forever by launching it into the Sun. The catch is that hitting the Sun is more than twice as hard as leaving the solar system.
· 11 sources
Standalone
So What Do We Do With Nuclear Waste?
The world has made almost half a million tons of nuclear waste. There are only two paths, store it or recycle it, and both end in the same place.
· 29 sources
Standalone
Why Don't We Catch Lightning?
Every lightning bolt carries $50 to $250 worth of electricity. So why isn't anyone in the business of catching them?
· 16 sources