Actor Bill Paxton, age 61, has died due to complications from surgery. Bill Paxton had important roles in several of the best movies Hudson in Aliens Morgan Earp in Tombstone (1993) Fred Haise in Apollo 13 (1995) the lead role in the 1996 hit Twister and Treasure hunter Brock Lovett in Titanic (1997) John Garrett …
Hans Rosling (1948–2017), physician and epidemiologist, famously upturned assumptions widely held by the public and by the development community — assumptions that, thanks to US President Donald Trump, are back in the spotlight. A recurring theme of Rosling’s was that family sizes have been shrinking even though child survival rates have improved. Rosling’s global statistics …
Michael Shellenberger explains how less nuclear energy has meant higher costs and less clean energy overall. * USA has shutdown nuclear plants prematurely because of lower natural gas costs * this has increased emissions of CO2 and air pollution * Overall energy costs have increased in the USA which correlate with lower nuclear energy mix …
In a white paper published in March 2014, Transatomic Power proclaimed its molten salt reactor “can generate up to 75 times more electricity per ton of mined uranium than a light-water reactor.” In a paper on its site dated November 2016, the company downgraded “75 times” to “more than twice.” In addition, it now specifies …
DARPA is creating a GPS-like technology that works in the deep ocean called Positioning System for Deep Ocean Navigation, or POSYDON. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the predominant means of obtaining positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information for both military and civilian systems and applications. However, the radio frequency basis for GPS also means …
In World War II, the U.S. Navy made extensive use of small aircraft carriers, ranging from very small carriers escorting convoys (CVEs) to light aircraft carriers (CVLs) that were essentially downsized models of the iconic big carriers (CVs). CVLs could handle post-WWII jets. However, the Navy concluded super carriers made more sense strategically and economically. …
A Chinese company has built a machine that has a creative way of setting girders into place for high speed rail bridges. The SLJ900/32, made by the Beijing Wowjoint Machinery Company, is a 580 ton, 300 foot long and 24 foot wide mega machine that looks more like a train than a crane Instead of …
China’s J-20 stealth fighter has been seen with four auxiliary fuel tanks (aka, drop tanks or “bags”) under its wings. Although cumbersome external fuel tanks sap the J-20’s low observable (stealth) qualities and maneuvering performance, it is likely that they can be jettisoned along with their pylons in a similar manner as the F-22. This …
On 10 February 2017, the London-based charity Cancer Research UK announced that a team of molecular biologists, astronomers and game designers would receive up to £20 million (US$25 million) over the next five years to develop its interactive virtual-reality map of breast cancers. Currently there are animations for tumor that allow virtual flew throughs. However, …
China is close to completing and launching its second aircraft carrier. It will begin service by 2020. China Central Television (CCTV) reported that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s Type 001A class aircraft carrier’s scaffold has been removed and red undercoat has been painted below the ship’s waterline in Dalian, northeastern Liaoning Province, and that …
Researchers developed an alteration to the lithium-sulfur battery that could make it more than competitive with the industry standard lithium-ion battery. The lithium-sulfur battery, long thought to be better at energy storage capacity than its more popular lithium-ion counterpart, was hampered by its short cycle life. Currently the lithium-sulfur battery can be recharged 50 to …