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Feb 21, 2020

Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear fusion tech

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

“We are sidestepping all of the scientific challenges that have held fusion energy back for more than half a century,” says the director of an Australian company that claims its hydrogen-boron fusion technology is already working a billion times better than expected.

HB11 Energy is a spin-out company that originated at the University of New South Wales, and it announced today a swag of patents through Japan, China and the USA protecting its unique approach to fusion energy generation.

Fusion, of course, is the long-awaited clean, safe theoretical solution to humanity’s energy needs. It’s how the Sun itself makes the vast amounts of energy that have powered life on our planet up until now. Where nuclear fission – the splitting of atoms to release energy – has proven incredibly powerful but insanely destructive when things go wrong, fusion promises reliable, safe, low cost, green energy generation with no chance of radioactive meltdown.

Feb 21, 2020

Want to Look Inside a Brain? With Transparent Organs, You Can

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Using clever chemical wizardry, researchers have made human organs see-through. The dazzling 3D maps could one day lead to organs made in the lab.

Feb 21, 2020

Jupiter-like exoplanet orbits its star in only 18 hours

Posted by in category: space

Astronomers have observed an exoplanet orbiting a star in just over 18 hours – the shortest orbital period ever seen for a planet of its type.

This means that a single year for this hot Jupiter-like planet – a gas giant similar in size and composition to Jupiter in our own Solar System – passes in less than a day of Earth time.

Scientists believe the discovery may help solve the mystery of whether such planets are in the process of spiralling towards their suns to their destruction.

Feb 21, 2020

Rocket Report: Astra nearing first launch, Starship may soon roll to pad

Posted by in category: space travel

A ride to the Moon for under $10 million? That’s quite a price.

Feb 21, 2020

Google AI will no more tag gender in photos

Posted by in categories: business, health, robotics/AI

A Google AI tool that can recognise and label what’s in an image will no longer attach gender tags like “woman” or “man” to photos of people. Google’s Cloud Vision API is a service for developers that allows them to, among other things, attach labels to photos identifying the contents. The tool can detect faces, landmarks, brand logos, and even explicit content, and has a host of uses from retailers using visual search to researchers identifying animal species.

Feb 21, 2020

Artificial intelligence yields new antibiotic

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

A deep-learning model identifies a powerful new drug that can kill many species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Feb 21, 2020

Chess Pieces Move On Their Own

Posted by in category: futurism

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Feb 21, 2020

China takes centre stage in global biodiversity push

Posted by in category: futurism

The world’s species and natural ecosystems are in crisis. When nearly 200 countries gather in ten days’ time to thrash out a major plan to stem the precipitous decline, China is expected to take a prominent role. The high-stakes negotiations will set the stage for a major biodiversity summit in October, which the country will also host — marking the first time the nation will lead global talks on the environment.


A major United Nations summit could see China push for ambitious targets and spotlights the country’s own conservation efforts.

Feb 20, 2020

Why Scientists Are Injuring Digital Humans to Improve Your Life

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

These limping AI models could be a medical breakthrough 😮

Via Seeker

Feb 20, 2020

Tesla wins court approval to build Gigafactory in Germany

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

How do you make “environmentally friendly cars” by destroying the environment. This is really uncool. “What would Greta Do?” Environment activists had managed to halt the felling of the trees two days ago, arguing that Tesla’s Gigafactory would affect local wildlife and water supply. However Tesla is said to plant 3 trees for every one it cuts down. Is that good for the wildlife in the forest and the water table?


A high court in Berlin has allowed Tesla to continue clearing a 92 hectare forest for its massive Gigafactory. The court rejected pleas from environment activists and said that its decision was final.