Technology

As tides rise and fall twice a day, vast amounts of water swirl around the earth. This is a huge energy source that's currently largely untapped. An estimated 3000 gigawatts are available to be harvested globally, enough to power a third of the earth's homes. Yet compared to wind and solar, the technology needed to harness tidal power is still in its infancy. The power of the ocean’s tides is the last great untapped energy source on Earth. From sub-sea kites to floating platforms, teams of engineers are racing to perfect the technology to harness the vast flows of water.

The world's shipping industry is facing a major challenge. If global shipping were a country it would be the sixth largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. At current growth rates, if we do nothing, those emissions could double or even triple by 2050. But shipping companies and engineers are creating remarkable new machines to make their industry greener, using a resource that has moved man across the world’s oceans for thousands of years…Wind.

There is a region of space that is dangerous for reasons we don't yet understand completely. We see an increased flux of energetic particles in this area and higher-than-usual levels of radiation. It's called the South Atlantic Anomaly. Some scientists now think the long-term effects of this danger zone may be far wider reaching than anyone ever expected, and it may even have implications for the future of humanity in space and on Earth.

It is a dark, mysterious, and secretive world. A world of clandestine projects, secret rocket launches, and futuristic tech. In December 2019, the United States Space Force became the newest branch of the military. It will defend the vast infrastructure of satellites, currently orbiting largely unprotected above Earth, and be ready to attack if they came under threat. This is also the story of the race to build the ultimate space weapon.

To survive Mars, our species will need to evolve how we eat, drink, and build our homes. Will we need our genes to evolve as well? Sometime in the future humans will leave Earth to colonize Mars, and in doing so will begin to adapt to life on another planet in surprising ways. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Solomon foresees a series of changes to our species from the size of our hearts and heads to the pigments in our skin.

Science may soon make the dream of traveling to Mars a reality, but how will we live once we get there? How will we manage our basic human needs of food, water, and shelter on a planet known for its barren surface conditions, high radiation levels, and toxic dirt?