MIT Technology Review looks at a process for sequencing DNA that could bring the cost down to $100 for a whole genome within 5 years (by 2012) and work on long sequences of DNA. The new method will also allow reading of long sequences of DNA. Small structural changes in DNA, such as deletions or …
carnival of space week 50 is up at KYSat. My contribution was on thin film city domes for nuclear weapon protection and many commercial uses. Out of the cradle has the second part of a series of articles on gardening on the moon Colony Worlds explains how Neptunes moon Triton could eventually be worth trillions …
A simplified picture of the electric sail. An actual system would have 50 to 100 or more 20 kilometer wires. 100 kg spaceships could be accelerated to final speeds of 40-100 km/second. The electric sail is an extremely promising new propulsion technique which is nearly ready to be tested. If electron heating turns out to …
Hyperion power generation has a new frequently asked question page. I had detailed coverage of the Hyperion Power generation uranium hydride reactor from their patent submission. I also had considered applying the device for space power. Power output of the device: Approximately 70 megawatts (MW) of heat (thermal energy) and 25 megawatts (MW) of electrical …
Current and proposed car fuel efficiency standards from around the world. UPDATE: The Dept of Transportation Secretary Peters Proposes 25 Percent Increase in Fuel Efficiency Standards Over 5 Years for Passenger Vehicles, Light Trucks. Fuel efficiency standards for both passenger vehicles and light trucks would increase by 4.5 percent per year over the five-year period …
During the Go Tournament in Paris, staged between 22 and 24 March 2008 by the French Go Federation (FFG), the MoGo artificial intelligence (IA) engine developed by INRIA — the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control — running on a Bull NovaScale supercomputer, won a 9×9 game of Go against professional …
The US standard tank water heater that uses approximately 4800 kWh per year. Home water heating is the number two residential energy consumption after residential heating and cooling. The average US household uses 920 kwh per month or 11040 kwh per year First for the most bang for the buck, look at simple and cheap …
Click for larger image I had previously looked at making two large concrete or nanomaterial monolithic or geodesic domes over cities which could protect a city from nuclear bombs. Now Alexander Bolonkin has come up with a cheaper, technological easy and more practical approach with thin film inflatable domes. It not only would provide protection …
Canada has had several new natural gas finds that seem to more than double the 57 trillion cf of reserves previously recorded. Plus some of the oilsand methods are burning some of the oilsands to get the rest flowing (THAI/Capris) Bruce power has applied to build 4 nuclear reactors in Alberta (4000MW). First power could …
The Speculist talks about meat factories (making meat from stem cells) and a personal conversion to veganism or vegetarianism. Part of this was initiated by an article that posited that meat eaters are bad people. [I do not agree with this position, are wolves bad?, but I feel that if achieving a goal of reduced …
Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency President Haroldo Lima is talking about a 33 billion barrel offshore oil find (not Tupi another find) deep-water exploration area off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. This find is also called the Cariaco field According to the ANP director, the field, temporarily named “Sugar Loaf,” in reference to Rio’s landmark, …