Thorium-Fueled Automobile Engine Needs Refueling Once a Century By: David Russell Schilling | October 28th, 2013 Thorium Concept Car - Image Courtesy www.greenpacks.com There are now over one billion cars traveling roads around the world directly and indirectly costing trillions of dollars in material resources, time and noxious emissions. Laser Power Systems (LPS) from Connecticut, USA, is developing a new method of automotive propulsion with one of the most dense materials known in nature: thorium. Cadillac World Thorium Fuel Concept (Image Courtesy www.cutedesign.com) Current models of the engine weigh 500 pounds, easily fitting into the engine area of a conventionally-designed vehicle. The idea of using thorium is not new. According to Robert Hargraves, “low or non-CO2 emitting energy sources must be cheaper than coal or will ultimately fail to displace fossil fuels.” Thorium may also be the answer to the world’s nuclear energy conundrum and Wikipedia provides some of its advantages: Thanks for reading! David Schilling
Australian Researchers Create 3D Interior Map of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa Australian researchers have created a 3D interior map of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa. The researchers used Zebedee, a handheld 3D mapping system developed by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. Zebedee can scan an environment as the operator walks through it. Zebedee's design features a laser scanner mounted on a spring, which provides a lightweight solution for ensuring a wide scanning field of view. The spring converts the natural motions of the operator into a sweeping motion of the scanner. Dr. Dr. Photos: CSIRO
'All Clear' UV Light Bottle Purifies Water in 60 Seconds On Friday afternoon, I plugged my water bottle into a laptop USB port for a charge. Saturday found me in the woods of Wisconsin, dipping the bottle into a lake then pressing a button to purify its contents for a drink. The $99 bottle, called the All Clear UV Microbiological Water Purifier, is made by CamelBak. It uses UV light to render microbes harmless, letting you grab a drink almost anywhere. Specifically, the UV light “destroys microbe DNA,” as CamelBak puts it. Bacteria, water-borne viruses, and protozoan cysts, including the troublesome cryptosporidium breed, are rendered benign by the light. The full All Clear kit This technology is not new. In the outdoors industry, Hydro-Photon has sold its UV-based SteriPEN product for more than 10 years. CamelBak’s All Clear is a similar concept but with a different design. The goal with All Clear is simple and quick purification. Digital countdown on UV cap That’s it. The system is slick. Also, not all water works in the system.
3D-Printed Human Cells Will Replace Animal Testing in Five Years, Says Bioengineer Expert 3D-printing could soon bring about an end to animal abuse in drug testing, according to bioengineering expert Alan Faulkner-Jones. Speaking at the 3D Printshow Hospital in London, the Heriot Watt University researcher said that 3D-printed human cells could eliminate the need to test new drugs on animals as soon as 2018. Using a bio-printer hacked together from a MakerBot printer, Faulkner-Jones demonstrated how human stem cells can be printed into micro-tissues and micro-organs. These miniature biological systems, otherwise known as systems-on-a-chip, not only resemble humans genetically, but they also respond as if it is a living miniature organ. This allows for more effective drugs tests that show side effects first hand. Faulkner-Jones believes the technology could replace cruel and often inaccurate animal testing within five years. What’s more, it may also become possible to personalize drugs by testing them with the cells of the person who actually needs them.
'Evidence of life from outer space' in Earth's atmosphere Scientists believe they have found the first evidence of life arriving to Earth from space, which could "completely change our view of biology and evolution". The team, from the University of Sheffield, made the discovery after sending a balloon high into the stratosphere. On its return they found organisms that were too large to have originated from Earth. Professor Milton Wainwright, who led the team, said the results could be revolutionary. The balloon was launched near Chester and carried microscope studs which were only exposed to the atmosphere when it reached heights of between 22 and 27km from the planet. It later landed safely and intact near Wakefield when scientists discovered they had captured a fragment of biological material, which were unusual due to their size. If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution. – Professor Milton Wainwright, department of molecular biology and biotechnology
Collapse Video Of A Glacier The Size Of A City | You’re Going To Find This Hard To Believe! On May 28, 2008, Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski filmed a historic breakup at the Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland. The calving event lasted for 75 minutes and the glacier retreated a full mile across a calving face three miles wide. The height of the ice is about 3,000 feet, 300-400 feet above water and the rest below water. "CHASING ICE" captures largest glacier calving ever filmed - Official Video "Chasing Ice" won the award for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and the Best Documentary from the International Press Association. It has won over 30 awards at festivals worldwide. Source:Unofficial Networks Related Posts:
Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox Acerodon jubatus Description The Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox Bat is a rare species, and one that features very long wings. It is considered to be the largest bat in the world. They even have a golden brown fur on their head that further shows such a resemblance. Distribution The only home of the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox is in the Philippines. Giant golden-crowned flying fox – Acerodon jubatus Behavior The behaviors of the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox Bat around the water is also interesting. They roost in very large colonies as this helps them to stay warm and to be able to feel safe. Diet /Feeding The Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox Bat consumes fruits. The types of foods they consume include figs, lamio, and sometimes cultivated fruits of their food supplies are becoming harder to come by. Golden-capped fruit bat flying Reproduction Due to the isolated locations where the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox Bat, it is hard to know very much about their reproduction process.
Accidental discovery dramatically improves electrical conductivity Quite by accident, Washington State University researchers have achieved a 400-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of a crystal simply by exposing it to light. The effect, which lasted for days after the light was turned off, could dramatically improve the performance of devices like computer chips. WSU doctoral student Marianne Tarun chanced upon the discovery when she noticed that the conductivity of some strontium titanate shot up after it was left out one day. At first, she and her fellow researchers thought the sample was contaminated, but a series of experiments showed the effect was from light. "It came by accident," said Tarun. "It's not something we expected. The phenomenon they witnessed—"persistent photoconductivity"—is a far cry from superconductivity, the complete lack of electrical resistance pursued by other physicists, usually using temperatures near absolute zero. More information: Persistent Photoconductivity in Strontium Titanate, Phys.
I knew I was small compared to the universe...but damn! 25 Futuristic Bicycles That Will Make You Go WOW Futuristic Bicycles are dream machines for everyone to own. With electric and hybrid cars, the way we transport is swiftly changing. However, this revolution in transport is not limited to cars – the bicycles designers are also pushing the boundaries of design to come up with futuristic bicycles that will inspire people to use bicycles instead and reduce their carbon footprint. Today, we have compiled a list of some Futuristic Bicycles That Will Make You Go WOW. Related: Buy your bicycle and accessories here 1. nCycle 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. smart Cycle 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Top 10 Futuristic Bicycles Video Related: Buy your bicycle and accessories here
Stanford scientists use 'wired microbes' to generate electricity from sewage Engineers at Stanford have devised a new way to generate electricity from sewage, using naturally occurring "wired microbes" as mini power plants, producing electricity as they digest plant and animal waste. In a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-authors Yi Cui, a materials scientist, Craig Criddle, an environmental engineer, and Xing Xie, an interdisciplinary researcher, call their invention a microbial battery. They hope it will be used in places such as sewage treatment plants, or to break down organic pollutants in the "dead zones" of lakes and coastal waters where fertilizer runoff and other organic waste can deplete oxygen levels and suffocate marine life. At the moment, however, their laboratory prototype is about the size of a D-cell battery and looks like a chemistry experiment, with two electrodes, one positive, the other negative, plunged into a bottle of wastewater. Of course, there is far less energy potential in wastewater.