Believe it or not, a time crystal might actually exist, and its likeliest hiding place is within a child’s toy.
Fans of the Marvel cinematic universe might be shocked to know that a ‘time crystal’ does indeed have a basis in reality, but perhaps not so much as to be able to distort time itself.
Rather, the real-life time crystal is a form of matter that ‘ticks’ when exposed to an electromagnetic pulse, differing it from standard crystals.
One of the greatest obstacles to producing energy via fusion on Eearth is the formation and growth of small magnetic field imperfections in the core of experimental fusion reactors. These reactors, called tokamaks, confine hot ionized gas, or plasma. If the imperfections persist, they let the energy stored in the confined plasma leak out; if allowed to grow, they can lead to sudden termination of the plasma discharge. Recent simulations of tokamak discharges with fast, energetic ions have shown that the structure of the magnetic field can either stabilize or destabilize these magnetic imperfections, or “tearing” instabilities. The result depends on the helical structure of the field as it winds around the tokamak.
Energetic ions, ubiquitous in fusion plasmas, can be a strong stabilizing or destabilizing force. The choice depends on the magnetic shear in the plasma. Understanding the physics driving the onset of the instabilities can lead to their avoidance, a “zero tolerance” approach, vital for ITER’s stable operation. ITER is a key step between today’s fusion research and tomorrow’s fusion power plants. Also, the results explain many experimental observations of tearing instabilities that limit the maximum heat energy that can be contained.
Advanced tokamaks achieve high-thermal-energy plasmas by injecting beams of hot ions that collide with, and thereby heat, the background plasma. Burning plasma experiments that create energy from fusion reactions, such as ITER, will also have a significant population of hot alpha particles, the byproduct of fusion. The effects that energetic ions have on the benign instabilities, such as the sawtooth instability, which causes the temperature near the plasma core to flatten, and the toroidal Alfvén eigenmode, which intuitively is a “vibration” (wobble) of the magnetic field lines, have been known for some time.
While most surveys suggest that the public generally supports wind and solar power, opposition from local communities and residents sometimes blocks or delays specific new projects.
Consider the ill-fated Cape Wind offshore project, which was slated to be powering Cape Cod by now. Although Massachusetts has some of the nation’s strongest renewable energy policies, a group of coastal homeowners in that state objected vociferously soon after Cape Wind Associates, the developer, first proposed building it in 2001. They ultimately filed more than a dozen lawsuits over 14 years, creating hassles and delays that along with opposition from other parties doomed it.
As renewable energy researchers witnessing similar storylines play out across the country, we wanted to see how much local opposition there is to existing wind farms. With funding from the Energy Department and help from our colleagues, we teamed up to undertake the largest scientific study to date on how people who live near U.S. wind farms perceive them.
A human study of the mitochondrial antioxidant MitoQ shows promise in addressing some aspects of vascular aging.
Antioxidant-based therapeutics to forestall the effects of aging have had a long history, ever since the elaboration of the free radical theory of aging by Denham Harmon in 1956. However, this long history has also had mixed results, with studies alternately showing efficacy, a lack of efficacy, or even negative health effects for some applications of antioxidants. Many of these studies analyzed the results of taking high doses of naturally occurring antioxidants. In general, high doses are necessary due to the poor bioavailability of many of these naturally occurring compounds.
The poor bioavailability of Coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring antioxidant that is found in cells and decreases with age, spurred scientists to develop a synthetic form. This form, dubbed MitoQ, is very similar in structure to the naturally occurring form, only it has a triphenylphosphonium moiety that allows this derivative to be two to three orders of magnitude more permeable to membranes, particularly the membranes of mitochondria. It is within mitochondria that MitoQ appears to be doing most of its work by soaking up reactive molecules, generated as byproducts of respiration, that can oxidize and damage lipids and proteins.
We are delighted to announce our first US conference in NYC. An action-packed day of research and investment and the first of the events we have planned this year.
At the Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, Cooper Union in New York City, we will be hosting a special one-day conference focused on aging research and biotech investment. Developing therapies from initial concepts, through clinical testing, and ultimately to market takes a pipeline, and right now, that pipeline is being built to support the next step in medicine: rejuvenation biotechnology. Join us for this exciting event, where industry experts will be sharing their insights on the advances and investment prospects in an industry poised to revolutionize medicine forever.
Posted in space travel
Pilots programs are underway in Canada and rural Kenya. India — with a population of more than 1.3 billion residents — is considering establishing a universal basic income as well. Finland’s trial with a universal basic income, in which payments were given to 2,000 unemployed people, will come to an end this year.
Longtime basic income advocates say we’re closer than ever to adopting the program, as fears of automation mount.
So, since technology is only going to advance, the question is: what will be the most coveted skill of the future? In my opinion, it is creativity. Ultimately a computer lacks imagination or creativity to dream up a vision for the future. It lacks the emotional competent that a human being has. Thus, creativity will be the skill of the future.
A new in depth article on transhumanism by Jean-Paul Teitu II:
But his mission didn’t end there. Zoltan Istvan will once again push the Transhumanist agenda under the Libertarian Party for the state of California.
The clock of your life is ticking. As your body ages, you get closer and closer to reach the dead end. But your vote can make a difference and slow down the speed of your time.
A father’s quest to help his son with diabetes led him to develop an artificial pancreas that could change the lives of millions of people who suffer from the disease. (via Freethink)
