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Nov 7, 2019

“Unsinkable metal” stays afloat even with holes punched in it

Posted by in categories: materials, nanotechnology

Superhydrophobic materials, which are excellent at repelling water, can be extremely useful for a whole range of reasons, both obvious and not-so-obvious. They can prevent ice from building up on surfaces, make electronics waterproof, make ships more efficient or keep people from peeing in public. Now engineers have found a quirky new use for superhydrophobic materials – making “unsinkable” metals that stay floating even when punctured.

Superhydrophobic materials get their water-repelling properties by trapping air in complex surfaces. These air bubbles make it hard for water to stick, so droplets instead bounce or roll right off. But, of course, air also makes things buoyant, so the team set out to test how superhydrophobic materials could be used to make objects that float better.

Continue reading “‘Unsinkable metal’ stays afloat even with holes punched in it” »

Nov 7, 2019

OpenAI’s ‘dangerous’ AI text generator is out: People find GPT-2’s words ’convincing‘

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The problem is the largest-ever GPT-2 model can also be fine-tuned for propaganda by extremist groups.

Nov 7, 2019

This Scientist Wants to Gene-Hack Hybrid Humans to Survive Mars

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, space

If we want to reach Mars, we may have to upgrade our DNA.

Nov 7, 2019

New battery tech could help electric cars charge in just 10 minutes

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

The speed at which current lithium-ion batteries can be charged is limited by a phenomenon known as lithium plating – the build-up of metallic lithium on the battery’s positive electrode – that happens when they take on charge at an accelerated rate. This severely reduces the battery’s life.

Nov 7, 2019

There’s A Promising New Vaccine For One Of The World’s Top Health Threats

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Scientists Announce Promising New Dengue Vaccine : Goats and Soda Dengue afflicts nearly 400 million people worldwide every year, but a vaccine has remained elusive. New research offers a path forward.

Nov 7, 2019

Simulated sunlight reveals how 98% of plastics at sea go missing each year

Posted by in categories: food, materials

Trillions of plastic fragments are afloat at sea, which cause large “garbage patches” to form in rotating ocean currents called subtropical gyres. As a result, impacts on ocean life are increasing and affecting organisms from large mammals to bacteria at the base of the ocean food web. Despite this immense accumulation of plastics at sea, it only accounts for 1 to 2 percent of plastic debris inputs to the ocean. The fate of this missing plastic and its impact on marine life remains largely unknown.

It appears that sunlight-driven photoreactions could be an important sink of buoyant plastics at sea. Sunlight also may have a role in reducing plastics to sizes below those captured by oceanic studies. This theory could partly explain how more than 98 percent of the plastics entering the oceans go missing every year. However, direct, experimental evidence for the photochemical degradation of marine plastics remains rare.

A team of scientists from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, East China Normal University and Northeastern University conducted a unique study to help elucidate the mystery of missing plastic fragments at sea. Their work provides novel insight regarding the removal mechanisms and potential lifetimes of a select few microplastics.

Nov 7, 2019

Celebrating Two Women In Science — Marie Curie And Lise Meitner

Posted by in categories: chemistry, life extension, science

Both Marie Curie and Lise Meitner, the only two women to be immortalized on the Periodic Table, celebrate the same November 7 birthday. Here are more reasons why they’re remarkable.

Nov 7, 2019

This Intelligent Microrobot Bird Could Navigate Through Blood Stream And Kill Cancer Cells

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, futurism

The future of microrobots!

Nov 7, 2019

10 Ways Humans Will Become Immortal by 2050

Posted by in categories: cryonics, life extension

From Cryonics To Living In Android Bodies here are 10 Ways Humans Will Become Immortal by 2050.

#Technology #Science #Immortal

Nov 7, 2019

Left-handed women’s quirk over sense of smell

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Some can smell normally despite missing the part of the brain which science says is crucial.