Lifeboat Foundation

Engineers are set to test a device that could pull defunct spacecraft and used rocket parts back to Earth, allowing them to burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, are launching a prototype drag sail Thursday aboard a rocket made by Firefly Aerospace, a private space company based in Austin, Texas. The mission is designed to assess how well the kitelike sail can de-orbit the rocket’s spent upper stage.

The launch is scheduled to take place at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT.

Deep beneath the seabed, teensy bacteria “exhale” electricity through long, skinny snorkels, and now, scientists have discovered how to switch these microbes’ electric breath on and off.

Cats have many superior genetic mutations like night vision even immunity to the current pandemic. If we can find the key to their immunity we could find a way to have near super human immunity.

“Getting a better understanding of the cat’s biology and genetic makeup will help us better understand the biology of humans, too,” says Leslie Lyons. (Credit: Lottie/Flickr)

The findings, published in Trends in Genetics, come after decades of genome DNA sequencing by Leslie Lyons, professor of comparative medicine in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Their cat genome assembly is nearly 100% complete.

In a new review article in Nature Photonics, scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory assess the status of research into colloidal quantum dot lasers with a focus on prospective electrically pumped devices, or laser diodes. The review analyzes the challenges for realizing lasing with electrical excitation, discusses approaches to overcome them, and surveys recent advances toward this objective.

“Colloidal quantum dot lasers have tremendous potential in a range of applications, including integrated optical circuits, wearable technologies, lab-on-a-chip devices, and advanced medical imaging and diagnostics,” said Victor Klimov, a senior researcher in the Chemistry division at Los Alamos and lead author of the cover article in Nature Photonics. “These solution-processed quantum dot laser diodes present unique challenges, which we’re making good progress in overcoming.”

Heeyoung Jung and Namyoung Ahn, also of Los Alamos’ Chemistry division, are coauthors.

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Many small animals grow their teeth, claws and other “tools” out of materials that are filled with zinc, bromine and manganese, reaching up to 20% of the material’s weight. My colleagues and I call these “heavy element biomaterials,” and in a new paper, we suggest that these materials make it possible for animals to grow scalpel-sharp and precisely shaped tools that are resistant to breaking, deformation and wear.

It’s not quite a star and not quite a planet.

Astronomers spotted an unusual brown dwarf 50 light years from Earth. It may help unlock new discoveries about others in its class.

😗 😁 Runs on the water it is surrounded by and solar.

The Aquon One is a luxury solar – hydrogen yacht completely powered by rooftop panels that generate electricity to run its twin 100kW motors and also create hydrogen for fuel cells from the water the boat sails through.

Continue reading “New solar — hydrogen yacht runs on sunshine and water” »

This video explains elements, atoms, shells, subshells and orbitals.

Thank You For Watching.

Continue reading “Elements, Atoms, Shells, Subshells And Orbitals” »

A piece of science fiction technology could be one step closer to reality with a new development in haptic holograms.

The idea of haptic, or touchable, holograms is familiar to millions from its appearance in sci-fi favorites like Star Trek’s holodeck, where characters can interact with solid-seeming computer simulations of people, objects and places.

Now, a team of engineers from the University of Glasgow have developed a new way to create the sensation of physically interacting with holographic projections.