During the hot summer months, watching an outdoor sports match or concert can be tantamount to baking uncomfortably in the sun—but it doesn't have to be. Physicist Wolfgang Kessling reveals sustainable design innovations that cool us from above and below, and even collects solar energy for later use.
Of all the mundane yet astonishing marvels of human ingenuity, knowing what it takes to heat a room to a comfortable temperature is Kathy Hannun's favorite. She takes us on a journey across the planet and under the sea to emphasize the dangers of modern heating, and offers a safer, planet-friendly alternative that taps into the geothermal energy right below our feet.
Adam Grosser talks about a project to build a refrigerator that works without electricity—to bring the vital tool to villages and clinics worldwide. Tweaking some old technology, he's come up with a system that works.
The coldest materials in the world aren't in Antarctica or at the top of Mount Everest. They're in physics labs: clouds of gases held just fractions of a degree above absolute zero. Lina Marieth Hoyos explains how temperatures this low give scientists a window into the inner workings of matter, and allow engineers to build incredibly sensitive instruments that tell us more about the universe.
