Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed a novel polymer to bind and strengthen silica sand for binder jet additive manufacturing, a 3D-printing method used by industries for prototyping and part production.

The printable polymer enables sand structures with intricate geometries and exceptional strength—and is also water soluble.

The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates a 3D-printed sand bridge that at 6.5 centimeters can hold 300 times its own weight, a feat analogous to 12 Empire State Buildings sitting on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Nanoscale machinery has many uses, including drug delivery, single-atom transistor technology, or memory storage. However, the machinery must be assembled at the nanoscale, which is a considerable challenge for researchers.

For nanotechnology engineers the ultimate goal is to be able to assemble functional machinery part-by-part at the nanoscale. In the macroscopic world, we can simply grab items to assemble them. It is not impossible to “grab” single molecules anymore, but their quantum nature makes their response to manipulation unpredictable, limiting the ability to assemble molecules one by one. This prospect is now a step closer to reality, thanks to an international effort led by the Research Centre Jülich of the Helmholtz society in Germany, including researchers from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick.

In the paper, “The stabilization potential of a standing molecule,” published today, 10 November 2021 in the journal Science Advances, an international team of researchers has been able to reveal the generic stabilization mechanism of a single standing molecule, which can be used in the rational design and construction of three-dimensional molecular devices at surfaces.

The new cable would be able to output four times more current than today’s best option.

The development of a genetic code expansion-based system enables fast protein expression in response to a noncanonical amino acid. The system was implanted into diabetic mice to rescue hyperglycemia with oral delivery of the amino acid.

IBM has created a quantum processor able to process information so complex the work can’t be done or simulated on a traditional computer, CEO Arvind Krishna told “Axios on HBO” ahead of a planned announcement.

Why it matters: Quantum computing could help address problems that are too challenging for even today’s most powerful supercomputers, such as figuring out how to make better batteries or sequester carbon emissions.

Driving the news: IBM says its new Eagle processor can handle 127 qubits, a measure of quantum computing power. In topping 100 qubits, IBM says it has reached a milestone that allows quantum to surpass the power of a traditional computer.

A Russian missile test that forced astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station to take shelter is slammed as “dangerous and irresponsible” by US officials.

Scientists found an easier way to produce a chemical reaction important in making biofuels, possibly lowering the cost of biofuel production.

From super-strength concrete to fortified infrastructure, this is what the ‘wonder material for the 21st century’ is now bringing to construction. For more by Tomorrow’s Build subscribe now — https://bit.ly/3vOOJ98

Executive Producer and Narrator — Fred Mills.
Producer — Adam Savage.
Video Editing and Graphics — Thomas Canton.

Continue reading “Construction’s Graphene Revolution Has (Finally) Begun” »

Nova Scotia sanctuary for captive whales to open 2023.

The Whale Sanctuary Project says it is not possible to release whales straight from captivity into the ocean, because they have never experienced life in the ocean.

The organisation says the sanctuary would give them “lifetime care” in a “natural setting that’s as close as possible to what they would experience in the wild”.