The National Weather Service advises residents to wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing, drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors.

CNN: Heat wave sweeps across U.S. Northeast

For example, scientists investigate the hyper-dry environments found in Antarctica (but there is still a lot of water, compared with Mars) or Death Valley (dry enough, but much hotter than Mars).

CNN: Curiosity opening Martian frontier?

"It's showing that micro-plastics are quite widespread in the environment, not just in the water columns and the beaches, but actually in the creatures that live in those environments, " he said.

BBC: What are long term threats of plastic in our seas?

Tipton, who conducts research on the human body's physiological and psychological response to adverse environments, found that it takes as few as five immersions in icy water for the body to develop a tolerance that can reduce the risk of cold-shock response by half.

CNN: Are polar bear plunges good for you?

The goal: compact living environments that require less resources and that get the most out of the land, water and energy they do use.

WSJ: How to Build a Greener City

It's able to navigate through 18 inches of water, crawl over boulders and rubble piles, and move in ahead of rescuers to evaluate precarious environments and help plan operations.

ENGADGET: Gemini-Scout robot can scope out mining accidents, may save lives (video)