discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

CraigD · Oct 19, 2020

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

Cannuck · Sep 6, 2021

Inside Skunk Works...

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/06/skunk-works-lockheed-martin-facility-509540

Cal2 · Sep 8, 2021

CANADA’S FIRST 3D PRINTED HOUSING COMMUNITY TO BE BUILT AS PART OF ‘MARCO POLO 100’ CHALLENGE

Renewable energy and real estate firm Horizon Legacy Group has unveiled plans to build Canada’s “first and largest 3D printed neighborhood.”

As part of its ‘Marco Polo 100’ challenge, the company is offering $10 million to fund the R&D of any advanced technologies or building approaches, capable of erecting housing at a cost of just $100/sq ft. Having selected its contest finalists, the group is now tasking them with proving the scalability of their entries, in a final stage that could see six family homes 3D printed into a cosy waterfront community in Ontario.

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news...t-as-part-of-marco-polo-100-challenge-195650/

I was talking a couple months ago with someone who runs a rehab program for Corrections Canada, about starting training some of their inmates in construction 3D printing in the not too distant future. Things like this might help move such thoughts along.

Cal2 · Sep 9, 2021

Fusion gets closer with successful test of new kind of magnet at MIT start-up backed by Bill Gates (msn.com)

"This magnet will change the trajectory of both fusion science and energy, and we think eventually the world's energy landscape," said Whyte.

The performance of these magnets give Holland confidence that CFS and MIT's PSFC will be able to achieve the goal of commercialized fusion. "Its a big deal," Holland told CNBC.

Cal2 · Sep 9, 2021

3D TO 4D Printing – The Next Level of Additive Manufacturing

“4D printing is the functional form of 3D printing. Instead of printing only physical structures, we can now print functions. It’s like embedding a piece of code in a material – once triggered, it does what you programmed it to do.”

https://meprinter.com/3d-to-4d-printing-the-next-level-of-additive-manufacturing/

Cal2 · Sep 11, 2021

J Sokol said:
Yes, I like "planned regeneration".

Planned regeneration:

This giant wind turbine blade can be recycled

"Wind turbines generate electricity without using fossil fuels or producing particulate matter pollution, but they do create waste: Though they can last as long as 25 years, turbine blades cannot be recycled, piling up in landfills at the end of their life. Now the Spain-based renewable energy company Siemens Gamesa says it has finally designed a recyclable wind turbine blade."

https://www.fastcompany.com/9067464...ass&utm_campaign=eem524:524:s00:09/10/2021_fc

CraigD · Sep 12, 2021

Cannuck said:
Inside Skunk Works...

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/06/skunk-works-lockheed-martin-facility-509540

Thanks

"... So Kelly’s team rented a circus tent to work on the project and delivered the fighter in just 143 days. According to lore, the tent had a pungent smell because it was sitting adjacent to a plastics factory in Burbank. The name Skunk Works was born."

That's not what I read going back 30-40 years ago. The story back then was it was called the Skunk Works because of the the carpet in the lobby of Lockheed's head office. It was black with a white stripe.

According to Wikipedia, "The Skunk Works name was taken from the moonshine factory in the comic strip Li'l Abner." Source.

That's the thing with lore and the internets... you don't know what to believe.

Keep your old books and reference manuals.

CraigD · Sep 12, 2021

Tektronix: The Cathode Ray Tube - Window to Electronics

Basic description of the operation of a cathode ray tube and a detailed description of the manufacturing process at Tektronix. This movie is from the era of all-glass CRT's. Tektronix later pioneered the construction of CRT's with ceramic funnels

CraigD · Sep 13, 2021

Super pod of 80 whales filmed feeding off NSW's Sapphire Coast

Incredibly rare footage of a super pod of whales in a feeding frenzy has been filmed off the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales.

The mass congregation of more than 80 whales was filmed several days ago.

It is only the second time only that an event of this kind has been filmed in Australian waters.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-13/whales-filmed-feeding-off-nsw-sapphire-coast/100457078

Sutruk · Sep 14, 2021

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Collects Puzzle Pieces of Mars’ History

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9036/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history/

"NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover successfully collected its first pair of rock samples, and scientists already are gaining new insights into the region. After collecting its first sample, named “Montdenier,” Sept. 6, the team collected a second, “Montagnac,” from the same rock Sept. 8.

“It looks like our first rocks reveal a potentially habitable sustained environment,” said Ken Farley of Caltech, project scientist for the mission, which is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “It’s a big deal that the water was there a long time.”

What’s more, salts have been spied within these rocks. These salts may have formed when groundwater flowed through and altered the original minerals in the rock, or more likely when liquid water evaporated, leaving the salts. The salt minerals in these first two rock cores may also have trapped tiny bubbles of ancient Martian water. If present, they could serve as microscopic time capsules, offering clues about the ancient climate and habitability of Mars. Salt minerals are also well-known on Earth for their ability to preserve signs of ancient life."

Cal2 · Sep 14, 2021

Scientists want to resurrect the woolly mammoth. They just got $15 million to make it happen (msn.com)

The goal isn't to clone a mammoth -- the DNA that scientists have managed to extract from woolly mammoth remains frozen in permafrost is far too fragmented and degraded -- but to create, through genetic engineering, a living, walking elephant-mammoth hybrid that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner.

"Our goal is to have our first calves in the next four to six years," said tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm, who with Church has cofounded Colossal, a bioscience and genetics company to back the project.

CraigD · Sep 14, 2021

Cal2 said:
Scientists want to resurrect the woolly mammoth. They just got $15 million to make it happen (msn.com)

The goal isn't to clone a mammoth -- the DNA that scientists have managed to extract from woolly mammoth remains frozen in permafrost is far too fragmented and degraded -- but to create, through genetic engineering, a living, walking elephant-mammoth hybrid that would be visually indistinguishable from its extinct forerunner.

"Our goal is to have our first calves in the next four to six years," said tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm, who with Church has cofounded Colossal, a bioscience and genetics company to back the project.

Hmmm.

This headline grabbed my attention yesterday, but as the copy says, it's a hybrid, and I'm not so sure if that is a good thing.

Didn't these guys ever watch Jurassic Park?

CraigD · Sep 14, 2021

Sutruk said:
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Collects Puzzle Pieces of Mars’ History

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9036/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history/

"NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover successfully collected its first pair of rock samples, and scientists already are gaining new insights into the region. After collecting its first sample, named “Montdenier,” Sept. 6, the team collected a second, “Montagnac,” from the same rock Sept. 8.

“It looks like our first rocks reveal a potentially habitable sustained environment,” said Ken Farley of Caltech, project scientist for the mission, which is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “It’s a big deal that the water was there a long time.”

What’s more, salts have been spied within these rocks. These salts may have formed when groundwater flowed through and altered the original minerals in the rock, or more likely when liquid water evaporated, leaving the salts. The salt minerals in these first two rock cores may also have trapped tiny bubbles of ancient Martian water. If present, they could serve as microscopic time capsules, offering clues about the ancient climate and habitability of Mars. Salt minerals are also well-known on Earth for their ability to preserve signs of ancient life."

It's sort of incredible that we have not had a sample returned to date.

Mars is after all, the most visited planet in our solar system.

We've had sample returns from the Moon, meteors, comets etc.

Fresh martian samples!

CraigD · Sep 14, 2021

Concrete on Mars Could Literally Be Made Out of Astronaut Blood, Sweat, And Tears

The homes we create on Mars and the Moon may end up being just a tad less hygienic than the structures we live in here on Earth.

A new series of experiments has resulted in the successful fabrication of concrete that could one day be used in off-world colonies, using a combination of simulated regolith from Mars or the Moon, a protein found in human blood, and a compound found in human urine, sweat, and tears.

https://www.sciencealert.com/mars-concrete-could-be-made-out-of-alien-dust-and-astronaut-blood

CraigD · Sep 15, 2021

People's Heartbeats Synchronize When They're Captivated by The Same Story

Having evolved with storytelling as a means to pass information across generations, our brains are powerfully attuned to narratives, so much so that we can recall well-told stories better than basic facts.

Stories play a powerful role in shaping the world we've created for ourselves, and it turns out they may even be able to dictate the rhythm of our own heartbeats.

A preliminary study looking at what happens in our bodies as we pay attention to these tales has found our hearts start beating in unison – even if we're miles away from each other.

Read on...

https://www.sciencealert.com/our-heartbeats-synchronize-when-we-re-captivated-by-the-same-story

CraigD · Sep 15, 2021

I never expected Australia to go nuclear, but I guess it is a sign of the worrying times we live in.

Australia to get nuclear-powered submarines, will scrap $90b program to build French-designed subs

Australia's next submarine fleet will be nuclear-powered under an audacious plan that will see a controversial $90 billion program to build up to 12 French-designed submarines scrapped.

The ABC understands Australia will use American and British technology to configure its next submarine fleet in a bid to replace its existing Collins class subs with a boat more suitable to the deteriorating strategic environment.

Australia, the United States and Britain are expected to jointly announce a new trilateral security partnership on Thursday, with a focus on aligning technology and regional challenges.

But Australia's embrace of nuclear-powered submarines will have its political and technological challenges, given there is no domestic nuclear industry.

The new three-nation security pact – called AUKUS – will be seen by China as a bid to counter its regional influence, especially in the contested South China Sea.

Read on...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09...-biden-australia-nuclear-submarines/100465628

CraigD · Sep 15, 2021

AMATEUR SPOTS POSSIBLE NEW IMPACT FLASH AT JUPITER

Did Jupiter just get smacked again? Amateur astronomer José Luis Pereira of Brazil just discovered a probable new impact at the gas giant on September 13th at around 22:39:30 UT (18:39:30 EDT).

Read on...

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/amateur-spots-possible-new-impact-flash-at-jupiter/

CraigD · Sep 15, 2021

Drugs, robots and the pursuit of pleasure – why experts are worried about AIs becoming addicts

In 1953, a Harvard psychologist thought he discovered pleasure – accidentally – within the cranium of a rat. With an electrode inserted into a specific area of its brain, the rat was allowed to pulse the implant by pulling a lever. It kept returning for more: insatiably, incessantly, lever-pulling. In fact, the rat didn’t seem to want to do anything else. Seemingly, the reward centre of the brain had been located.

More than 60 years later, in 2016, a pair of artificial intelligence (AI) researchers were training an AI to play video games. The goal of one game – Coastrunner – was to complete a racetrack. But the AI player was rewarded for picking up collectable items along the track. When the program was run, they witnessed something strange. The AI found a way to skid in an unending circle, picking up an unlimited cycle of collectables. It did this, incessantly, instead of completing the course.

What links these seemingly unconnected events is something strangely akin to addiction in humans. Some AI researchers call the phenomenon “wireheading”.

Read on...

https://theconversation.com/drugs-r...are-worried-about-ais-becoming-addicts-163376

Sutruk · Sep 16, 2021

SpaceX makes history with first all-civilian spaceflight

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-makes-history-first-civilian-spaceflight-rcna2027

"SpaceX has made history. Again.

The spaceflight company founded by the billionaire Elon Musk launched four private passengers into orbit Wednesday on the first mission to space with an all-civilian crew.

A reusable Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jared Isaacman, a 38-year-old tech entrepreneur, Sian Proctor, a 51-year-old geoscientist, Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old aerospace data engineer, and Hayley Arceneaux, a 29-year-old physician assistant, lifted off shortly after 8 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The four-person crew will now spend three days in orbit around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean."

CraigD · Sep 16, 2021

CraigD said:
I never expected Australia to go nuclear, but I guess it is a sign of the worrying times we live in.

Australia to get nuclear-powered submarines, will scrap $90b program to build French-designed subs

Australia's next submarine fleet will be nuclear-powered under an audacious plan that will see a controversial $90 billion program to build up to 12 French-designed submarines scrapped.

The ABC understands Australia will use American and British technology to configure its next submarine fleet in a bid to replace its existing Collins class subs with a boat more suitable to the deteriorating strategic environment.

Australia, the United States and Britain are expected to jointly announce a new trilateral security partnership on Thursday, with a focus on aligning technology and regional challenges.

But Australia's embrace of nuclear-powered submarines will have its political and technological challenges, given there is no domestic nuclear industry.

The new three-nation security pact – called AUKUS – will be seen by China as a bid to counter its regional influence, especially in the contested South China Sea.

Read on...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09...-biden-australia-nuclear-submarines/100465628

Australia, Britain and US form 'forever partnership' with AUKUS trilateral technology-sharing security deal

Australia will become a nuclear submarine-owning nation but won't abandon existing nuclear weapon prohibitions as it embarks on a new "forever partnership" with the UK and United States known as AUKUS.

At least eight new submarines will be built in Adelaide to be ready in the 2030s as part of the historic agreement.

Australia will not develop its own nuclear reactors for the submarines, but will instead purchase reactors from the US or the UK, which do not need to be replaced during the lifespan of the boat.

The US has not agreed to share its prized nuclear secrets with any country since it gave the submarine technology to the UK in 1958.

"This is a historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to protect share values and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/st...forever-deal-with-us-uk-for-nuclear-run-subs/

CraigD · Sep 16, 2021

Scientists find evidence of humans making clothes 120,000 years ago
Tools and bones in Moroccan cave could be some of earliest evidence of the hallmark human behaviour

https://www.theguardian.com/science...nce-of-humans-making-clothes-120000-years-ago

J Sokol · Sep 18, 2021

Waste from one bitcoin transaction ‘like binning two iPhones’

A single bitcoin transaction generates the same amount of electronic waste as throwing two iPhones in the bin, according to a new analysis by economists from the Dutch central bank and MIT.

While the carbon footprint of bitcoin is well studied, less attention has been paid to the vast churn in computer hardware that the cryptocurrency incentivises. Specialised computer chips called ASICs are sold with no other purpose than to run the algorithms that secure the bitcoin network, a process called mining that rewards those who partake with bitcoin payouts. But because only the newest chips are power-efficient enough to mine profitably, effective miners need to constantly replace their ASICs with newer, more powerful ones.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-bitcoin-transaction-like-binning-two-iphones

CraigD · Sep 18, 2021

J Sokol said:
Waste from one bitcoin transaction ‘like binning two iPhones’

A single bitcoin transaction generates the same amount of electronic waste as throwing two iPhones in the bin, according to a new analysis by economists from the Dutch central bank and MIT.

While the carbon footprint of bitcoin is well studied, less attention has been paid to the vast churn in computer hardware that the cryptocurrency incentivises. Specialised computer chips called ASICs are sold with no other purpose than to run the algorithms that secure the bitcoin network, a process called mining that rewards those who partake with bitcoin payouts. But because only the newest chips are power-efficient enough to mine profitably, effective miners need to constantly replace their ASICs with newer, more powerful ones.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-bitcoin-transaction-like-binning-two-iphones

“As a result, we estimate that the whole bitcoin network currently cycles through 30.7 metric kilotons of equipment per year. This number is comparable to the amount of small IT and telecommunication equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands.”

In 2020 the bitcoin network processed 112.5m transactions (compared with 539bn processed by traditional payment service providers in 2019), according to the economists, meaning that each individual transaction “equates to at least 272g of e-waste”. That’s the weight of two iPhone 12 minis.

It doesn't take a genius to see that this is going to get a lot worse over the coming years.

CraigD · Sep 18, 2021

https://twitter.com/x/status/1437810714102611968

Cal2 · Sep 18, 2021

CraigD said:
“As a result, we estimate that the whole bitcoin network currently cycles through 30.7 metric kilotons of equipment per year. This number is comparable to the amount of small IT and telecommunication equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands.”

In 2020 the bitcoin network processed 112.5m transactions (compared with 539bn processed by traditional payment service providers in 2019), according to the economists, meaning that each individual transaction “equates to at least 272g of e-waste”. That’s the weight of two iPhone 12 minis.

It doesn't take a genius to see that this is going to get a lot worse over the coming years.

When I 1st read about things along this line, I registered toxiccoin.com and posted it on a crypto thread here, explaining a bit why I'd regged it. The post didn't get any 'likes'.

Cal2 · Sep 18, 2021

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