Nuclear Plant Uprates

Construction crews last week prepared a concrete slab to serve as a staging area for the replacement of Limerick’s six huge transformers, a $90 million job that will take about two years to complete. The improvements to the transformers, which convert electricity for transmission on big power lines, are only one component of a complicated …

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Quantum Cascade Laser at 120 Watts at Room Temperature

The quantum cascade laser (QCL) is based on inter-subband electron transitions inside a quantum well structure, which can be tailored to emit different wavelengths simply by changing the thickness of the constituent layers. In other words, we are no longer limited by inherent band gaps, and can demonstrate a very versatile source using one material …

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Monash University of Australia Innovation for Tripling Energy Conversion in Solar Cells

Scientists at Monash University, in collaboration with colleagues from the universities of Wollongong and Ulm in Germany, have produced tandem dye-sensitised solar cells with a three-fold increase in energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported tandem dye-sensitised solar cells. Lead researcher Dr Udo Bach, from Monash University, said the breakthrough had the potential to increase …

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Shape Shifting Antennas

The antenna consists of liquid metal injected into elastomeric microchannels. The antennas can be deformed (twisted and bent) since the mechanical properties are dictated by the elastomer and not the metal. Research from North Carolina State University is revolutionizing the field of antenna design – creating shape-shifting antennas that open the door to a host …

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Interview of Brad Edwards – Space Elevator Expert by Sander Olson

Here is the Brad Edwards interview. Dr. Edwards received his PhD in physics in 1990, and worked at Los Alamos National Lab for 11 years. After leaving Los Alamos, Dr. Edwards has dedicated his career to researching and developing the space elevator concept. All of his research indicates that the space elevator concept is valid …

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Lab Grown Soggy Pork – A Step to Commercial Factory Grown Meat

The UK Telegraph reports: researchers in Holland have created what was described as ”soggy pork” and are investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it. They have not tasted the product, but it is believed the artificial meat could be on sale within five …

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CNN Vital signs – The Clinic with Sanjay Gupta Interviewing Aubrey de Grey and Dan Buettner

Chief Medical Correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta and world-renowned anti-aging experts discussed practical steps for living longer, and cutting-edge research that could dramatically extend human lives. (for about 30 minutes) Geneticist Aubrey de Grey is the Chief Scientific Officer of SENS Foundation, which researches and promotes regenerative medicine. He said that techniques such as stem cell …

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