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Limitless Energy: MIT Set a New Record for Nuclear Fusion
In Brief:
- MIT researchers using the Alcator C-Mod reactor have achieved a new nuclear fusion pressure record of more than 2 atmospheres of pressure.
- The Alcator C-Mod is set to retire after over 23 years of use but its nuclear fusion experiments have brought us closer to nearly unlimited clean energy.
EmDrive Inventor Gets New Patent For Impossible Engine, US And UK Governments Interested
The inventor of the impossible EmDrive, Roger Shawyer, received a new patent for the next generation of his controversial engine and the US Department of Defense and the UK Ministry of Defense are both interested in obtaining the technology.
If the EmDrive works, which is under some debate, it would allow a military satellite to get close to its target without being detected, it would also revolutionize space travel, Shawyer told the International Business Times.
“Yes, the UK MoD and the US DoD are interested in EmDrive. It would clearly be useful for any intelligence-gathering platform. It provides good maneuverability and stealth orbits to be maintained.”
We will soon find out how much audiences truly care about the worlds of Star Wars and Harry Potter — By Ashley Rodriguez | Quartz
“More than five years after the last Harry Potter film was released, Warner Bros. is preparing to delve back into the Wizarding World with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. And Disney will release its temperately anticipated Star Wars spinoff Rogue One this December in US cinemas.”
The Biggest Threat to NASA’s Future Is the Ocean — By Maddie Stone | Gizmodo
“That’s a troubling question for NASA, an agency whose most valuable piece of real estate—the $10.9 billion sandbar called Kennedy Space Center—is also its most threatened.”
An ancient drought-friendly farming process could become the next organics — By Renuka Rayasam | Quartz
“Drip irrigation came to California in the 1970s, letting farmers plant more fruits, vegetables, and nuts more closely together and in desert areas not naturally suited for agriculture.”
The National Guard Is Using A Robot To Blow Up A Dangerous Chemical
The bunker door will be opened because the igniter, also called nitrocellulose, burns very rapidly and is only explosive when confined, Brian Salvatore, chairman of the chemistry and physics department at Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a member of the Camp Minden citizens’ advisory committee, said last week.
A magazine holding 114,000 pounds of igniter is scheduled for burning Saturday. Another one holding 84,000 pounds of igniter and 40,000 pounds of M6 artillery propellant is to be burned Oct. 29.
China Has Overtaken the U.S. In AI Research
In Brief:
- The United States’ current levels of R&D spending on AI are one-half to one-quarter of the levels that would be best for economic growth.
- Lagging behind in AI research could put the U.S. at a disadvantage if other countries get the opportunity to dictate how the technology is used.
The U.S. may be trailing behind China in artificial intelligence (AI) research — or at least in journal articles that mention “deep learning” or “deep neural network” — according to the White House’s National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan.
