discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

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!

 

[redemo]

Just been served a You Tube advert about OneWheel's GT model. Looks pretty sick. Anybody used one. Claims to have a 20 to 32-mile range, 20 m.p.h. top speed, priced (out of my budget) at $ 2200 or $ 92 every month with Klarna.

https://onewheel.com/products/onewheel-gt

 

[Sutruk]

Just been served a You Tube advert about OneWheel's GT model. Looks pretty sick. Anybody used one. Claims to have a 20 to 32-mile range, 20 m.p.h. top speed, priced (out of my budget) at $ 2200 or $ 92 every month with Klarna.

Show attachment 221931

https://onewheel.com/products/onewheel-gt

It looks pretty funny. It should be in the "Fun and Technology" thread

Although seeing the speed reached by this board, you better get used to going first on a normal skateboard… or you will "feel" what speed + a hard road can do to your body and bones

 

[Cal2]

How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything

MILLENNIA AGO, ARISTOTLE asserted that nature abhors a vacuum, reasoning that objects would fly through truly empty space at impossible speeds. In 1277, the French bishop Etienne Tempier shot back, declaring that God could do anything, even create a vacuum.

Then a mere scientist pulled it off. Otto von Guericke invented a pump to suck the air from within a hollow copper sphere, establishing perhaps the first high-quality vacuum on Earth. In a theatrical demonstration in 1654, he showed that not even two teams of horses straining to rip apart the watermelon-size ball could overcome the suction of nothing.

Since then, the vacuum has become a bedrock concept in physics, the foundation of any theory of something. Von Guericke’s vacuum was an absence of air. The electromagnetic vacuum is the absence of a medium that can slow down light. And a gravitational vacuum lacks any matter or energy capable of bending space. In each case the specific variety of nothing depends on what sort of something physicists intend to describe. “Sometimes, it’s the way we define a theory,” said Patrick Draper, a theoretical physicist at the University of Illinois.

As modern physicists have grappled with more sophisticated candidates for the ultimate theory of nature, they have encountered a growing multitude of types of nothing. Each has its own behavior, as if it’s a different phase of a substance. Increasingly, it seems that the key to understanding the origin and fate of the universe may be a careful accounting of these proliferating varieties of absence.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-the-physics-of-nothing-underlies-everything/

 

[koolishman]

This Natural Treasure Contains the Secret to Stronger Armor​

When it comes to building tough, resilient materials without wasting energy, few human manufacturers can compete with Mother Nature.



One of her most intriguing achievements is nacre, commonly known as mother-of-pearl, a material that is much stronger than the sum of its parts. “[Nacre] is effectively chalk, but it doesn’t break like chalk. When I think of chalk, I think of a very brittle, delicate material,” says Robert Hovden, a professor of materials science at the University of Michigan and one of the researchers on a study involving nacre. Last year, his team uncovered new information about the nano-level structure of nacre that could open new frontiers in the world of human-made supermaterials.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on nacre’s structure at the nanoscale level—lengths of a billionth of a meter, even smaller than a wavelength of light. Using an electron microscope, the researchers noticed that inconsistencies in the nacre’s brick-and-mortar structure led to “corrections” in future layers. When an asymmetrical nacreous layer corrupted the pearl’s symmetry, future layers “adjusted” their thicknesses to make the pearl more spherical.

 

[koolishman]

A New Study Confirms That Gravity has Remained Constant for the Entire age of the Universe​

They paid close attention to how the images they saw contained subtle distortions due to dark matter (gravitational lenses). As the first image released from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) illustrated, scientists can infer the strength of gravity by analyzing the extent to which a gravitational lens distorts spacetime. So far, the DES Collaboration has measured the shapes of over 100 million galaxies, and the observations all match what General Relativity predicts. The good news is that Einstein’s theory still holds, but this also means that the mystery of Dark Energy persists for the time being.

So, Gravity, death and taxes!

 

[koolishman]

830-million-year-old microorganisms in primary fluid inclusions in halite​

Abstract​

Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation of central Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with transmitted light and ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) petrography. These objects are consistent in size, shape, and fluorescent response with cells of prokaryotes and eukaryotes and with organic compounds. This discovery shows that microorganisms from saline depositional environments can remain well preserved in halite for hundreds of millions of years and can be detected in situ with optical methods alone. This study has implications for the search for life in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial chemical sedimentary rocks.

 

[koolishman]

Will This Be the First Country Bankrupted by Crypto?​

It’s been a year since El Salvador adopted bitcoin as currency — things are not going well

In September 2021, El Salvador enacted the Bitcoin Law and became the first country in the world to adopt a cryptocurrency as national currency. While the main currency of El Salvador continued to be the U.S. dollar — and people are free to use it — critics warned that putting national funds into such a decentralized, unstable currency could be devastating to the country, still reeling from a civil war decades ago. Now, one year later, the authoritarian government is continuing to crack down on citizens speaking out against bitcoin. They say they have seen their democracy dismantled, human rights suspended, and their economic futures threatened while their government bends over backwards to court wealthy crypto investors.

 

[koolishman]

Renewables provided over 25% of total US electrical generation in first half of 2022​

Renewables provided more than 25% of electrical generation in the United States during the first half of 2022, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The latest issue of the EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report released yesterday, which contains data through June 30, 2022, shows that in the first half of 2022, renewables – biomass, geothermal, hydropower, wind, and solar, including small-scale solar such as rooftop solar – increased their electrical output by 18.45% compared to the first half of 2021.


On August 16, the EIA projected that renewables will provide 22% of US electrical output in 2022. That projection was surpassed halfway through the year, as renewables have already provided 25.23% of total US electrical generation.

 

[koolishman]

Major sea-level rise caused by melting of Greenland ice cap is ‘now inevitable’​

Major sea-level rise caused by melting of Greenland ice cap is ‘now inevitable’​

Major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now inevitable, scientists have found, even if the fossil fuel burning that is driving the climate crisis were to end overnight.

The research shows the global heating to date will cause an absolute minimum sea-level rise of 27cm (10.6in) from Greenland alone as 110tn tonnes of ice melt. With continued carbon emissions, the melting of other ice caps and thermal expansion of the ocean, a multi-metre sea-level rise appears likely.

 

[koolishman]

Similar faces share similar DNA​

A new study reveals that lookalikes with no familial ties have similar genetic makeup. This discovery may have important implications within the forensic sciences.​

The researchers identified pairs of virtual doppelgangers by looking through the works of photographer François Brunelle, a Canadian artist who has spent more than 20 years taking images of lookalikes around the world. The researchers subsequently passed them through facial recognition programs so that algorithms could verify the similarities. The 32 pairs that were eventually recruited ended up having confirmed resemblances in three recognition systems, with scores similar to those obtained by identical twins. Biological samples were then taken from the 64 participants, who were then subjected to exhaustive questionnaires about their habits and lifestyles.

 

[koolishman]

Dolphins form largest alliance network outside humans, study finds ​

Male dolphins in Shark Bay form first-order alliances of two-three males to cooperatively pursue consortships with individual females. Second-order alliances of four-14 unrelated males compete with other alliances over access to female dolphins and third-order alliances occur between cooperating second-order alliances.

​

 

[koolishman]

IIT Guwahati researchers develop edible coating to keep fruits, vegetables fresh up to 2 months

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) on Monday announced that they have developed an edible coating which can help extend shelf life of fruits and vegetables up to two months

The IIT-G on Monday said the coating material, which will prevent wastage, was tested on vegetables such as potato, tomato, green chilis, strawberries, Khasi mandarin, apples, pineapples, and kiwifruits were found to keep these items fresh for nearly two months.

 

[J Sokol]

The age of ‘the car is king’ is over. The sooner we accept that, the better

The worldwide love affair with the car, which promised consumers convenience, status and freedom, is over. The reality from Hotan to Hull and Lagos to Lahore is that the car is now a social and environmental curse, disconnecting people, eroding public space, fracturing local economies, and generating sprawl and urban decay. With UK temperatures hitting highs of 40C this summer, this reality has become impossible to ignore. Instead of the prospect of speed and cheap mobility, consumers now get soaring costs, climate breakdown and air pollution, the devastation of nature, mounting debt, personal danger and ill health, and the most serious energy crisis in 30 years.

Now the World Health Organization is worried. Car accidents are the eighth highest cause of death for people of all ages, and the leading cause among young people aged 5-29 worldwide. At least 1.3 million people die in car accidents every year, with a further 20 to 50 million people sustaining injuries, often at phenomenal personal and financial cost.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...ents-pollution-road-vehicles-public-transport

 

[koolishman]

AI detects 20,000 hidden taxable swimming pools in France, netting €10m​

AI software has detected more than 20,000 secret private swimming pools in aerial photography, helping French tax officials bag about €10 million (£ 8.6 million) in extra property levies.

In a bid to catch tax dodgers out, nine departments working under France's tax office tested out machine-learning software to automatically find undeclared swimming pools from overhead photos. The software analyzed aerial images, scanning for telltale signs of pools such as blue rectangles in backyards. Officials used the code to identify homes with these pools, determined their address, and checked whether they have been reported or not by looking at a database.

The software was developed by Google and Capgemini, and was reported to have a 30 per cent error rate in April. Arrays of solar panels could confuse the computer-vision software, causing it to flag false positives, and sometimes it would fail to detect swimming pools if they were bathed in shadows or covered by trees. The French Treasury said engineers were working to expand the application to look for different types of home modifications.

 

[koolishman]

Researchers use infrared light to wirelessly transmit power over 30 meters​

Imagine walking into an airport or grocery store and your smartphone automatically starts charging. This could be a reality one day, thanks to a new wireless laser charging system that overcomes some of the challenges that have hindered previous attempts to develop safe and convenient on-the-go charging systems.

The ability to power devices wirelessly could eliminate the need to carry around power cables for our phones or tablets,” said research team leader Jinyong Ha from Sejong University in South Korea. “It could also power various sensors such as those in Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors used for monitoring processes in manufacturing plants.”

In the Optica Publishing Group journal Optics Express, the researchers describe their new system, which uses infrared light to safely transfer high levels of power. Laboratory tests showed that it could transfer 400 mW light power over distances of up to 30 meters. This power is sufficient for charging sensors, and with further development, it could be increased to levels necessary to charge mobile devices.

 

[koolishman]

UBC team developing oral insulin tablet sees breakthrough results​

A team of University of British Columbia researchers working on developing oral insulin tablets as a replacement for daily insulin injections have made a game-changing discovery.

Researchers have discovered that insulin from the latest version of their oral tablets is absorbed by rats in the same way that injected insulin is.

“These exciting results show that we are on the right track in developing an insulin formulation that will no longer need to be injected before every meal, improving the quality of life, as well as mental health, of more than nine million Type 1 diabetics around the world.” says professor Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh (he/him), the principal investigator from the faculty of land and food systems.

 

[koolishman]

Pan of the Phantom Galaxy​

This image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shows the heart of M74, otherwise known as the Phantom Galaxy. Webb’s sharp vision has revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust in the grandiose spiral arms which wind outwards from the centre of this image. A lack of gas in the nuclear region also provides an unobscured view of the nuclear star cluster at the galaxy's centre. M74 is a particular class of spiral galaxy known as a ‘grand design spiral’, meaning that its spiral arms are prominent and well-defined, unlike the patchy and ragged structure seen in some spiral galaxies.

 

[koolishman]

Surprise! Protons Contain a Subatomic Particle That’s Heavier Than the Proton Itself​

Protons are particles that exist in the nucleus of all atoms, with their number defining the elements themselves. Protons, however, are not fundamental particles. Rather, they are composite particles made up of smaller subatomic particles, namely two “up quarks” and one “down quark” bound together by force-carrying particles  (bosons ) called “gluons.”

This structure isn’t certain, however, and quantum physics suggests that along with these three quarks, other particles should be “popping” into and out of existence at all times, affecting the mass of the proton. This includes other quarks and even quark-antiquark pairs.


Now, by exploiting a high-precision determination of the quark-gluon content of the proton and by examining 35 years’ worth of data, particle physics data researchers have discovered evidence that the proton does contain intrinsic charm quarks.

What makes this result more extraordinary is that this flavor of quark is one-and-a-half times more massive than the proton itself. Yet when it is a component of the proton, the charm quark still only accounts for around half of the composite particle’s mass.

 

[J Sokol]

Discovered in the deep: the incredible fish with a transparent head​

In the ocean’s shadowy twilight zone, between 600 and 800 metres beneath the surface, there are fish that gaze upwards through their transparent heads with eyes like mesmerising emerald orbs. These domes are huge spherical lenses that sit on a pair of long, silvery eye tubes – hence its common name, the barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma).

The green tint (which actually comes from a yellow pigment) acts as sunglasses, of a sort, to help them track down their prey. There’s nowhere to hide in the open waters of the deep ocean and many animals living here have glowing bellies that disguise their silhouette and protect them – bioluminescent prey is hard to spot against the dim blue sunlight trickling down. But barreleyes are one step ahead.

Discovered in the deep: the incredible fish with a transparent head

 

[koolishman]

What makes the human brain different? Yale study reveals clues​

What makes the human brain distinct from that of all other animals — including even our closest primate relatives? In an analysis of cell types in the prefrontal cortex of four primate species, Yale researchers identified species-specific — particularly human-specific — features, they report Aug. 25 in the journal Science.

The human-specific microglia type exists throughout development and adulthood, the researchers found, suggesting the cells play a role in maintenance of the brain upkeep rather than combatting disease.

And they found that what makes us human may also makes us susceptible to neuropsychiatric diseases.

 

[koolishman]

Historic' Mars Experiment Produces Oxygen at the Rate of 1 Earth Tree​

MIT scientists are on track to create an oxygen mine on the red planet.

When NASA's robotic Perseverance rover blasted off to Mars last year, it brought with it a small, golden box called MOXIE, for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment.



And on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, the team behind this contraption confirmed that MOXIE has been working so well, in fact, that its oxygen output is comparable to the rate of a modest Earth tree's output.

Since then, MOXIE has been making oxygen out of thin Martian air.

And on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, the team behind this contraption confirmed that MOXIE has been working so well, in fact, that its oxygen output is comparable to the rate of a modest Earth tree's output.

 

[koolishman]

An AI-Generated Artwork Won First Place at a State Fair Fine Arts Competition, and Artists Are Pissed​

A man came in first at the Colorado State Fair’s fine art competition using an AI generated artwork on Monday. “I won first place,” a user going by Sincarnate said in a Discord post above photos of the AI-generated canvases hanging at the fair.

 

[koolishman]

If you can't wait for for April 13, 2029...you can at least see the movie.

Nasa to crash $330m spacecraft into asteroid to see if impact can alter course​

In a few weeks, Nasa controllers will deliberately crash their $330m Dart robot spacecraft into an asteroid. The half-tonne probe will be travelling at more than four miles a second when it strikes its target, Dimorphos, and will be destroyed.

 

[Future Sensors]

Why aren’t digital pills taking off?​

While ingestible sensors offer a chance to improve adherence, their use in vulnerable populations remains rife with challenges.

In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broke ground by approving the first drug with an embedded biosensor to track its use. Proteus Health’s Abilify MyCite had an ingestible sensor that could track if a patient consumed the drug.

Proteus’s profile grew considerably; it was soon valued at $1.5 billion. The enthusiasm for digital approaches involving sensors, apps, and wearables that could transmit information across systems, commonly grouped under the term Internet of Things, also spread.

Yet, despite the landmark FDA approval, digital pills have not exploded in pharma. Privacy and logistical concerns, especially while studying such applications for vulnerable populations, have lingered.

Not even three years later, Proteus filed for bankruptcy.

Read more:

https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/analysis/why-arent-digital-pills-taking-off/

 

[redemo]

So I'm into my first aid and while this surgical skin stapler is not a new product (up-loaded two years back), or hi-tech, it does make onto my need to have list. Could also save somebody's life. I think it's relevant to technology if we look at the definition machinery and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge.