Trinitite: The radioactive rock buried in New Mexico before the Atari games
From the archives: A short story about a strange glass.
Megan Geuss
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Megan Geuss
Staff editor
megan.geuss@arstechnica.com
Megan Geuss is a staff editor at Ars Technica. Prior to Ars, she was a features editor at PCWorld, and before that she worked as a freelancer writer for various publications and as a fact-checker at Wired Magazine. She enjoys research and keeps an IRL paper-based journal. Megan received two B.A.s from UC Berkeley in Political Economy and French, as well as a M.S. in Mineral and Energy Economics from Colorado School of Mines. In her free time, she enjoys running and reading. Having put ten marathons behind her, she hopes to eventually complete a triathalon.
Recent stories by
Megan Geuss
Renewable electricity beat out coal for the first time in April
Seasonal shifts helped, but long-term changes underlie the record.
Megan Geuss
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256
Report: Tesla working on battery-cell R&D to loosen ties with Panasonic
On batteries and solar cells, Tesla-Panasonic partnership has been a little fraught.
Megan Geuss
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121
A 10-year-old natural gas plant in California gets the coal plant treatment
Two GE turbines can't start quickly enough, so they can't play well with renewables.
Megan Geuss
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156
German regulator says it discovered new illegal software on Daimler diesels
Daimler is being forced to recall 42,000 vehicles in Europe.
Megan Geuss
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88
At House hearing, witnesses for Trump admin defend fuel economy rollback
Appointees assert that higher fuel economy standards would cause more deaths.
Megan Geuss
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189
Trump administration finalizes replacement for Obama’s Clean Power Plan
Rule regulates emissions at the power-plant level versus at the state level.
Megan Geuss
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344
Federal bill would allow clean energy companies to structure like oil companies
In the meantime, IEA says value of subsidies for fossil fuels has increased.
Megan Geuss
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73
Most Read
After June fires, energy group says hydrogen is future’s fuel
Causes of explosions in California and Norway are still under investigation.
Megan Geuss
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Group to fund and operate first hydrogen fuel ferry fleet in the US
Investment group is also exploring refueling infrastructure.
Megan Geuss
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182
At Tesla shareholder meeting, Musk assures “there is not a demand problem”
CEO addresses investors as many become more bearish on the business.
Megan Geuss
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266
As summer heats up, Calif. utility starts cutting power to prevent wildfires
New "public safety power shutoffs" will be more common due to climate change.
Megan Geuss
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235
17 automakers tell Trump that fuel economy rollback needs to include California
Automakers lobbied for this rollback, now asking for another round of negotiations.
Megan Geuss
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438
Creative thinking: Researchers propose solar methanol island using ocean CO₂
Desalination, electrolysis, CO2 capture, methanol synthesis: all running on solar panels.
Megan Geuss
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162
Tesla sold greenhouse gas credits to Fiat and… GM?
As federal regulations get stricter, auto companies seek to buy credits.
Megan Geuss
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225
Power systems company to build world’s first 1 GW energy storage project in Utah
The project would combine renewable hydrogen and compressed air caverns.
Megan Geuss
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289
Ohio lawmakers pass bill to cut renewable requirement, help nuclear and coal
Critics say the bill unnecessarily bails out nuclear, coal owner FirstEnergy Solutions.
Megan Geuss
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131
China’s saber-rattling on rare-earths trade has US officials looking for options
Coal runoff could be a solution; Pentagon wants funding for rare-earths independence.
Megan Geuss
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203
US Department of Energy is now referring to fossil fuels as “freedom gas”
The Department of Energy is on its path to "energy dominance" with bizarre re-branding.
Megan Geuss
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453
IEA: Nuke retirements could lead to 4 billion metric tons of extra CO2 emissions
New builds are unlikely to pick up the slack, but plant lifetime extensions could.
Megan Geuss
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299
Washington Governor signs bill to allow composting human bodies
Recompose is spearheading a greener green burial.
Megan Geuss
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207
Australian rare-earth ore processor wants to build a plant in the US
Rare-earth minerals are mostly processed in China, but a new project could change that.
Megan Geuss
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213
The Boring Company appears to have its first paying customer
One dissenting vote from the board based on the company's lack of experience.
Megan Geuss
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182
A year after Hawaii’s Kīlauea eruptions, a nearby geothermal plant eyes restart
Operator hopes to send power back to the grid before the year is out.
Megan Geuss
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46
Massive 2015 natural gas leak caused by microbial corrosion, report says
Report says gas company failed to inspect its wells despite 60 similar leaks.
Megan Geuss
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46
Making industrial chemicals “green” requires a lot of renewable electricity
The amount of renewable energy needed to clean up the chemical industry is dramatic.
Megan Geuss
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150
Utility equipment sparked massive California wildfire, investigators say
PG&E makes its way through bankruptcy, now utility is responsible for 85 deaths.
Megan Geuss
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140
Fourth-largest coal producer in the US files for bankruptcy
The company staved off bankruptcy for years but continued to face lean markets.
Megan Geuss
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268
Japanese railway company starts testing 249mph bullet train speeds
Alfa-X slated for service in 2030, leaving room for another high-speed rail to catch up.
Megan Geuss
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305
The last reactor at Three Mile Island is shutting down
Plant owner Exelon said the reactor would shut down by September 30.
Megan Geuss
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299
UK goes a whole week without using coal-fired electricity
The cradle of the Industrial Revolution is turning a corner away from pollution.
Megan Geuss
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204
Porsche, Fiat face multimillion-dollar payouts in separate diesel scandals
Porsche played a small role in diesel scandals, but it benefitted from the cheating.
Megan Geuss
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63
HBO’s new Chernobyl mini-series shows how good science is undermined by secrecy
Insidious Soviet-era leadership is the villain in this dark five-episode drama.
Megan Geuss
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189
After Nevada’s outrage over plutonium shipment, Energy Dept offers olive branch
The move out of Nevada will begin in 2021 and last until 2026.
Megan Geuss
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195
Department of Justice opens investigation into failed carbon-capture plant
The project received hundreds of millions in grants and may now be scrapped.
Megan Geuss
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111
Report: Tesla to slash solar panel prices to stymie market-share loss [correction]
Soft costs are a major part of solar installation, and Tesla hopes to cut them down.
Megan Geuss
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152