Lifeboat Foundation

As the Kremlin threatens to unleash atomic weapons in its battle to take over democratic Ukraine, and develops nuclear-armed spacecraft to challenge the allied space powers, one rising aerospace outfit says its new space station will be a symbol of international peace and camaraderie when launched into the heavens.

The American co-founders of Starlab Space, who have formed an alliance with European, Canadian and Japanese space-tech leaders, predict their orbiting station could help keep the celestial peace despite the armed clashes and nuclear brinkmanship now upending the Earth.

The Starlab Space Station is first and foremost a hyper-modern habitat and science lab, designed to enable astronauts around the world to conduct experiments in microgravity or deploy imaging satellites, all while circling the planet at 28,000 kilometres per hour.

The pipe dream of carbon capture is one step closer to reality thanks to a Bill Gates-backed startup that is burying bricks made from plants.

The Washington Post detailed a “deceptively simple” procedure by Graphyte to sequester blocks of wood chips and rice hulls, calling it “a game-changer” for the industry, which has been held back by the cost ineffectiveness of other methods.

Continue reading “Bill Gates-backed startup creates Lego-like brick that can store air pollution for centuries: ‘A milestone for affordably removing carbon dioxide from the air’” »

Researchers in Japan have developed a novel “heat switch device” that could extend the lifespan of lunar exploration vehicles in the extreme Moon environment.

Moon goes through extreme temperature variations, ranging from scorching highs of 127°C (260°F) to freezing lows of −173°C (−280°F).

Lunar rovers cost millions of dollars to build and operate, but lunar temperatures limit their operating life. As exploration of the lunar surface is gaining pace, surface missions demand innovative solutions for thermal control.

This will enable us to increase our production rate significantly as we build toward our long-term goal of producing one Ship per day.

They are becoming more capable, easier to program and better at explaining themselves.

Wang, J., Zuo, L. & Cordente Martínez, C. Basketball technique action recognition using 3D convolutional neural networks. Sci Rep 14, 13,156 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63621-8

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New rules on NGTs — here’s what it means.

Researchers from Princeton University, University of California Santa Barbara, University of Basel, and ETH Zurich have discovered new applications for nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre quantum sensors in condensed matter physics. These sensors, which offer nanoscale resolution across a wide range of temperatures, have been used to measure static magnetic fields in condensed matter systems.

NV centres can probe beyond average magnetic fields, enabling high precision noise sensing in diverse systems. They offer several advantages over other nanoscale probes, including the ability to probe both static and dynamic properties in a momentum and frequency-resolved way.

Condensed matter physics is a field that studies the physical properties of condensed phases of matter, such as solids and liquids. Recently, researchers from Princeton University, University of California Santa Barbara, University of Basel, and ETH Zurich have discovered new opportunities in this field for nanoscale quantum sensors, specifically nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre quantum sensors. These sensors offer unique advantages in studying condensed matter systems due to their quantitative, noninvasive, physically robust nature, and their ability to offer nanoscale resolution across a wide range of temperatures.

Kanno, S., Nakamura, H., Kobayashi, T. et al. npj Quantum Inf 10, 56 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-024-00851-8

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