Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: economics – Page 50

While significant parts of the globe are already facing significant freshwater scarcity, the need for more freshwater is projected to increase in order to sustain the increasing global population and economic growth and adapt to climate change.

An almost limitless supply of fresh water exists in the form of water vapor above Earth’s oceans, yet remains untapped. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have proposed a new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapor as a solution to limited supplies of fresh water in various locations around the world.

The study evaluated 14 water-stressed locations across the globe for the feasibility of a hypothetical structure capable of capturing water vapor from above the ocean and condensing it into fresh water – and doing so in a manner that will remain feasible in the face of continued climate change.

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Future of in space manufacturing, next 10 years of cisLunar, getting kids involved in stem, and more with Joe Pawelski Architect of CisLunar.

Feedback/idea form for show.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbZjVCZmJ-TLPWLCsI…sp=sf_link.

About Joe and CisLunar.
“We envision a future where humanity is enabled and empowered to expand beyond Earth to permanently and sustainably settle the Solar System.
A dynamic and robust industrial in-space economy is essential to this future.
CisLunar Industries is creating the critical metal processing capabilities required to support the in-space industrial value chain.”

Links.

Continue reading “Space manufacturing pioneer Joe Pawelski shares his vision for the future — episode 147” | >

Welcome to the first chapter of our audiobook on personal finance! In this chapter, we’ll be exploring the basics of money and how we use it in our daily lives. We’ll cover topics like what money is, how we earn it, and how we can use it to buy the things we need and want. We’ll also talk about the different forms money can take, like cash, checks, and credit cards. Whether you’re just starting to learn about personal finance or you’re looking to brush up on the basics, this chapter is a great place to start. So grab a pair of headphones, sit back, and let’s get started!

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The carbon-negative concrete blocks absorb more CO2 during production than they emit.

A Limburg (Netherlands) company called Masterbloc has engineered an eco-friendly building material from steel slag left over from the steel industry, according to an article by The Brussels Times.

The company CEO Bjorn Gubbels claims the block stores CO2 and can help boost the circular economy.

CHUNYIP WONG/iStock.

Continue reading “Carbon-eating blocks ingest eight tonnes of CO2 a day, says company” | >

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have created vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes on metal foils that could be a boon for energy storage and the electronics industry.

Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) have exceptional mechanical, electrical and in addition to an aligned architecture, which is key for applications such as membrane separation, thermal management, fiber spinning, electronic interconnects and energy storage.

To date, widespread integration of VACNTs into next-generation technologies is thwarted by a lack of compatible, economic, mass-production capabilities. High-quality VACNTs are typically made on substrates such as silicon (Si) or quartz wafers that are rigid, expensive and electrically insulating.

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Riding on the shoulders of the Apollo generation, the Artemis missions will pave the way for humans to return to the moon, begin human exploration of Mars, and someday for humanity to reach the edges of our solar system and beyond.

While the exploration of deep space is critical to advancing our understanding of so many unanswered questions about the universe and our place in it, it is equally as critical that the United States government and private industry work together to lead the commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and capture the resulting massive new space economy.

As I wrote in The Washington Post recently, the most profound chapter in human history is the industrial revolution happening in LEO, just 250 miles above our heads. We are at a turning point for our civilization, pivoting from 60 years of space exploration to a new era of unprecedented economic activity, manufacturing and growth in space. This burgeoning epoch is called the Orbital Age, and it will drive a new trillion-dollar industry.

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This technology will not only extend the lifespan of concrete structures, but also promote a circular economy.

Sewer pipe corrosion, or crown corrosion, occurs when sewage pipe material comes into contact with sulphuric acid. The aging pipe material corrodes, and the pipes crack. Over the past few years, engineers have developed sewer bots to inspect sewage pipes and go to places unsafe for humans.

Professor Yan Zhuge, an engineering expert at the University of South Australia, is trialing a novel solution.

Vladimir Zapletin/iStock.

Continue reading “A world-first project that uses ‘self-healing’ concrete to repair sewage pipes” | >

They love to bet.

The Institute of Biology at the University of Neuchatel (UniNE) in Switzerland discovered that orangutans and gorillas could make rational economic decisions. According to a new study, apes are similar to humans when it comes to making choices.

Led by Penelope Lacombe, Sarah Brocard, Klaus Zuberbühler, and Christoph Dahl, the study was conducted with orangutans and gorillas housed at Switzerland’s Basel Zoo. The results were published in PLOS ONE on December 14.

“Rather than settling for a treat they are sure to receive, orangutans and gorillas prefer to bet on a bigger reward, even if they are not sure of getting it,” says UniNE.

Continue reading “Apes can make rational, economic decisions as humans do, research finds” | >

In a move to protect SBFs hedge fund from losing billions software code was altered.

Sam Bankman-Fried owned Alameda Research, a hedge fund heavily invested in FTX. In move to make sure the hedge fund assets were never sold off, when FTX began to have issues, an engineer secretly changed software code in the FTX system. The software would have sold off all Alameda Research assets, just like any other companies that were owned, in the case of FTX filing for bankruptcy.

Getty Images.

The FTX exchange code was tweaked in the Mid 2020s, to make sure Alameda Research was protected from an automatic sell off of assets, if the hedge fund was losing to much borrowed money.

Continue reading “FTX caught depositing 8 billion dollars of customer money into secret accounts” | >