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Feb 16, 2019

A Philosopher Is Trying to Figure out What Black Holes Really Are

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

Physicists can’t agree.


Physicists define black holes according to their field’s needs.

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Feb 16, 2019

China made an artificial star that’s 6 times as hot as the sun, and it could be the future of energy

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics, solar power, sustainability

Imagine if we could replace fossil fuels with our very own stars. And no, we’re not talking about solar power: We’re talking nuclear fusion. And recent research is helping us get there. Meet the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, or EAST.

EAST is a fusion reactor based in Hefei, China. And it can now reach temperatures more than six times as hot as the sun. Let’s take a look at what’s happening inside. Fusion occurs when two lightweight atoms combine into a single, larger one, releasing energy in the process. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not easy to pull off. Because those two atoms share a positive charge. And just like two opposing magnets, those positive atoms repel each other.

Stars, like our sun, have a great way of overcoming this repulsion … their massive size, which creates a tremendous amount of pressure in their cores … So the atoms are forced closer together making them more likely to collide. There’s just one problem: We don’t have the technology to recreate that kind of pressure on Earth.

Continue reading “China made an artificial star that’s 6 times as hot as the sun, and it could be the future of energy” »

Feb 16, 2019

The LED Guitar

Posted by in category: futurism

For more information visit: http://immergeinteractive.com/elements

Fender Telecaster meets custom built LED video display meets audio reactive control software.

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Feb 16, 2019

The company that promised a one-way ticket to Mars is bankrupt

Posted by in category: space travel

The company claimed it was going to send hundreds of people to live on Mars.


What a shocker.

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Feb 16, 2019

‘Tumour monorail’ on the fast track for human trials

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

A biomedical device designed to lure tumour cells out of the brain Pied Piper-style has been awarded specialist breakthrough status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Following successful trials in rats, the device, dubbed a ‘tumour monorail’, has been put on the fast track for human trials by the FDA.

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Feb 16, 2019

Gravitational-wave observatory LIGO set to double its detecting power

Posted by in category: energy

A planned US$35-million upgrade could enable LIGO to spot one black-hole merger per hour by the mid-2020s.

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Feb 16, 2019

Bill Gates: Textbooks are ‘becoming obsolete’— here’s the best way to learn today

Posted by in categories: entertainment, information science

“I read more than my share of textbooks,” Gates says. “But it’s a pretty limited way to learn something. Even the best text can’t figure out which concepts you understand and which ones you need more help with.”

Software can be used to create a much more dynamic learning experience, he says.

Gates gives the example of learning algebra. “Instead of just reading a chapter on solving equations, you can look at the text online, watch a super-engaging video that shows you how it’s done, and play a game that reinforces the concepts,” he writes. “Then you solve a few problems online, and the software creates new quiz questions to zero in on the ideas you’re not quite getting.”

Continue reading “Bill Gates: Textbooks are ‘becoming obsolete’— here’s the best way to learn today” »

Feb 16, 2019

California’s Rain Was a ‘Cat 4’ Atmospheric River. Wait, What?

Posted by in category: futurism

All that rain drenching California this week came from an atmospheric river. A new rating scale would tell you how much water is fueling the system.

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Feb 16, 2019

Researchers discover anti-laser masquerading as perfect absorber

Posted by in category: futurism

Researchers at Duke University have discovered that a perfect absorber of electromagnetic waves they described in a 2017 paper can easily be tweaked into a sort of “time-reversed laser” known as a coherent perfect absorber (CPA).

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Feb 16, 2019

Nissan unveils incredible solar-powered mobile workshop for woodworkers

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Over the years, we’ve seen thousands of unique van conversions, but Nissan has taken the van-loving world by storm with its new NV300 concept van — a mobile workshop for woodworking professionals. The amazing design, which was a collaboration between Nissan and UK-based firm Studio Hardie, is fully-functioning mobile woodworking studio that can be taken off grid, letting wood-loving artisans find inspiration anywhere they choose. What’s more, the van runs on solar power and its tools are powered by an emissions-free, weatherproof power pack made out of recycled electric car batteries.

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