Lifeboat Foundation

Under the direction of Latha Venkataraman, associate professor of applied physics at Columbia Engineering, researchers have designed a new technique to create a single-molecule diode, and, in doing so, they have developed molecular diodes that perform 50 times better than all prior designs. Venkataraman’s group is the first to develop a single-molecule diode that may have real-world technological applications for nanoscale devices. Their paper, “Single-Molecule Diodes with High On-Off Ratios through Environmental Control,” is published May 25 in Nature Nanotechnology.

“Our new approach created a single-molecule diode that has a high (250) rectification and a high “on” current (~ 0.1 micro Amps),” says Venkataraman. “Constructing a device where the active elements are only a single molecule has long been a tantalizing dream in nanoscience. This goal, which has been the ‘holy grail’ of molecular electronics ever since its inception with Aviram and Ratner’s 1974 seminal paper, represents the ultimate in functional miniaturization that can be achieved for an electronic device.”

With electronic devices becoming smaller every day, the field of molecular electronics has become ever more critical in solving the problem of further miniaturization, and single molecules represent the limit of miniaturization. The idea of creating a single-molecule diode was suggested by Arieh Aviram and Mark Ratner who theorized in 1974 that a molecule could act as a rectifier, a one-way conductor of electric current. Researchers have since been exploring the charge-transport properties of molecules. They have shown that single-molecules attached to metal electrodes (single-molecule junctions) can be made to act as a variety of circuit elements, including resistors, switches, transistors, and, indeed, diodes. They have learned that it is possible to see quantum mechanical effects, such as interference, manifest in the conductance properties of molecular junctions.

Will it succeed?An open-source investigation suggests that Russia is building a giant laser-based anti-satellite weapon near Zelenchukskaya in the southwest part of the country, Space.com reported. This will allow it a soft-kill option to take down adversarial satellites.

Instead of temporarily blurring sensors, Russia is going full throttle, looking to destroy optical sensors on satellites.

Mr. Shadow is a song composed with Artificial Intelligence. It was created by Flow Machines, a technology that learns different music styles and then makes up its own songs based on what it’s been fed. Although the voice in the song sounds peculiar at times, I could have easily been fooled into thinking a person made this song. You can download Flow Machines onto your apple device to make your own AI music.

What if you could power the smart thermostats, speakers and lights in your home with a kitchen countertop? Stones, such as marble and granite, are natural, eco-friendly materials that many people building or renovating houses already use. Now, in a step toward integrating energy storage with these materials, researchers have fabricated microsupercapacitors onto the surface of stone tiles. The devices, reported in ACS Nano, are durable and easily scaled up for customizable 3D power supplies.

It would be convenient if the surfaces in rooms could charge smart home devices or other small electronics without being connected to the electrical grid. And although stone is a widely used material for floors, countertops and decorative backsplashes, it hasn’t been integrated with energy storage devices, such as batteries and capacitors.

But stones, even those that are polished and seem smooth, have microscopic bumps and divots, making it difficult to adhere electrical components to them. Researchers have recently figured out how to place microsupercapacitors, which have fast charging and discharging rates and excellent power supply storage, onto irregular surfaces with lasers. So, Bongchul Kang and colleagues wanted to adapt this approach to build microsupercapacitors on marble.

This artificial intelligence software can acutely analyze facial expressions and brain waves to monitor if subjects were attentive to thought and political education by using a combination of polygraphs and facial scans. It can provide real data for organizers of ideological and political education, so they can keep improving their methods of education and enrich content. It can judge how party members have accepted thought and political education.

The Smart Political Education Bar analyses user’s brain waves and deploys facial recognition to discern the level of acceptance for ideological and political education. Making it possible to ascertain the levels of concentration, recognition, and mastery of ideological and political education so as to better understand its effectiveness.

President Xi, secretary of the Communist Party and leader of the nation of 1.4 billion, has demanded absolute loyalty to the party and has previously declared that thought and political education is an essential part of the government’s doctrine. They are using this technology to treat all party members as potential anti-CCP agents. The use of these techniques on officials demonstrates the sorry state of affairs within party ranks.

SpaceX is making a 480-foot-tall giant robot with arms that will catch giant rockets.

It is insanely cool. Sci-fi made real.

Continue reading “SpaceX Building 480-Foot-Tall Rocket Catching Robot” »

Bangladesh and Indonesia test GM potatoes to stop late potato blight responsible for destroying up to 57% of harvests.

Research produces a number of late blight-resistant potatoes that are in trials in Bangladesh and Indonesia to improve yields.