Lifeboat Foundation

A sustainable source for clean energy may lie in old soda cans and seawater. MIT engineers have found that when the aluminum in soda cans is exposed in its pure form and mixed with seawater, the solution bubbles up and naturally produces hydrogen—a gas that can be subsequently used to power an engine or fuel cell without generating carbon emissions. What’s more, this simple reaction can be sped up by adding a common stimulant: caffeine.

In a study appearing today in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the researchers show they can produce hydrogen gas by dropping pretreated, pebble-sized aluminum pellets into a beaker of filtered seawater. The aluminum is pretreated with a rare-metal alloy that effectively scrubs aluminum into a pure form that can react with seawater to generate hydrogen. The salt ions in the seawater can in turn attract and recover the alloy, which can be reused to generate more hydrogen in a sustainable cycle.

Continue reading “Engineers develop a recipe for zero-emissions fuel: Soda cans, seawater and caffeine” »

Construction has begun on what will be the world’s largest underwater road and rail tunnel connecting Denmark and Germany, as Newsweek reported.

The tunnel, which is a major component of the European Union’s Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor plan, runs beneath the Fehmarn strait for more than 11 miles and aims to cut travel times between the two countries. A 45-minute ferry ride may soon be reduced to a quick seven-minute train commute.

Continue reading “Officials break ground on world’s longest underwater rail tunnel connecting 2 major cities: ‘A milestone in … history’” »

In this article, Roman Ponomarenko, sound designer and composer with 20+ years of professional experience, explores the transformative potential of AI in sound design and what this means for the future of music.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making significant progress in music and sound design. However, will the sophisticated AI of the future eventually replace human professionals in these fields? Navigating such a complex issue proves to be quite challenging, as AI brings forth a mix of exciting opportunities and daunting challenges.

Juvenile and adult skeletons of Middle Jurassic Krusatodon from the Isle of Skye, Scotland, show that this mouse-sized mammaliaform had longer development and lifespan than modern mammals of similar mass.

Discussion surrounding the question, “What is real?” at the Moving Naturalism Forward workshop, October 2012. Participants include Sean Carroll, Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Terrence Deacon, Simon DeDeo, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flangan, Rebecca Goldstein, Janna Levin, David Poeppel, Massimo Pigliucci, Nicholas Pritzker, Alex Rosenberg, Don Ross, and Steven Weinberg. Visit https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/.… more information.

Discussion at the Moving Naturalism Forward workshop, October 2012. Participants include Sean Carroll, Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Terrence Deacon, Simon DeDeo, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flangan, Rebecca Goldstein, Janna Levin, David Poeppel, Massimo Pigliucci, Nicholas Pritzker, Alex Rosenberg, Don Ross, and Steven Weinberg.

Visit https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/.… for more information.

Keith Frankish is an Honorary Reader at the University of Sheffield, UK, a Visiting Research Fellow with The Open University, UK, and an Adjunct Professor with the Brain and Mind Programme at the University of Crete. He specializes in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of cognitive science. His books include Illusionism: As a Theory of Consciousness, Consciousness: the Basics, and Consciousness.

/ friction.
/ discord.
/ frictionphilo.

Continue reading “Keith Frankish | Mind” »

In this interview, I talk with Dr. Graham Oppy about his understanding of metaphysical naturalism. He defends the thesis that natural reality is coextensive with causal reality such that there are no causal entities that are non-natural.

If you enjoy the content. Let me know who else I should have on the channel and what should we chat about!

The next space station astronaut crew may be the last to splash down in the ocean nearby the U.S. east coast.

The Crew Dragon Crew-9 mission with astronauts is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station no earlier than Aug. 18, perhaps becoming the final NASA-led ISS mission to arrive in the Atlantic Ocean aboard Crew Dragon.