If humans are ever going to live beyond Earth, they’ll need to construct habitats. But transporting enough industrial material to create livable spaces would be incredibly challenging and expensive. Harvard researchers think there's a better way, through biology. 

An international team of researchers led by Robin Wordsworth have demonstrated that they can grow green algae inside shelters made out of bioplastics in Mars-like conditions. The experiments are a first step toward designing sustainable habitats in space that won’t require bringing materials from Earth.

A new analysis suggests that reductions in U.S. military spending could result in significant decreases in energy consumption by the Department of Defense, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Ryan Thombs of Penn State University, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Climate on July 2.

Restoring underwater kelp forests by culling overgrazing sea urchins would deliver significant financial benefits, a new study has found.