Scientists have for the first time developed a transparent sample of a popular industrial ceramic that is the second hardest material after diamond and can withstand substantially higher temperatures. The super-hard window made of cubic silicon nitride can potentially be used under extreme conditions like in engines, researchers said. Scientists have synthesised the first transparent …
most people, crystals mean diamond bling, semiprecious gems or perhaps the jagged amethyst or quartz crystals beloved by collectors. To Norman Yao, these inert crystals are the tip of the iceberg. If crystals have an atomic structure that repeats in space, like the carbon lattice of a diamond, why can’t crystals also have a structure …
Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology. Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a …
The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 339 is up at Hiroshima Syndrome’s Fukushima Commentary Neutron Bytes – Toshiba’s Financial Meltdown Puts Its Nuclear Projects at Risk Worldwide Toshiba overpaid for its acquisition of Westinghouse in 2007, then wrote down half of the value in 2014. It is currently mired in lawsuits over the value of its …
An innovative new cheap and simple mass production technique, developed by the University of Exeter, is set to open up the global potential of the ‘wonder’ material graphene. A team of engineers from Exeter’s Centre for Graphene Science have developed a new method for creating entire device arrays directly on the copper substrates used for …
1. Forbes James Conca – Oops! – Rick Perry Chosen To Head Energy Department The former Texas Governor is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to become the next Secretary for the Department of Energy (DOE). This is amazing given that Governor Perry wanted to kill the Department completely. Everyone seems fixated on shifting DOE away from …
What is it that’s magical about this place [Silicon Valley]? And is it something that could be replicated in other parts of the world? Everybody wants to replicate it. What they fail to understand is that replication is a 30- or 40-year effort. It’s not an overnight transformation. And it takes that long because the …
The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 337 is up at Neutron Bytes MZ consulting – A new study by UNSCEAR shows that there is more radiation coming from coal plants than nuclear plants – and that workers mining the rare earths required for solar and wind are subject to higher doses than nuclear workers. Report of …
MBDA Germany has edged closer to fielding a new deployable laser weapon system (LWS) following a series of day/night all-weather trials. Trials focus on beam guidance and tracking system High energy laser expected to be demonstrated in 2017 Conducted at the Bundeswehr’s military training ground at Putlos on the Baltic Sea from 4-14 October, the …
1. Forbes – James Conca – Renewable Energy Will Do Just Fine In President Trump’s America Energy did not make any difference in who we chose for President on Tuesday. But the energy sector won biggly, nonetheless. Under a Trump Presidency, U.S. climate change policy and goals will evaporate, as will the Clean Power Plan, …
The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 333 is up at Neutron Bytes Atomic Insights – Nuclear plants that are economically uncompetitive under current market conditions (cheap natural gas) should be retained for future operations, not immediately destroyed. Some might wonder at my wording. They might accurately point out that virtually all of the 30+ commercial reactors …