James Conca at Forbes reports that the International Institute for Sustainable Development estimates that the CO2 and climate benefits from replacing petroleum fuels with biofuels like ethanol are basically zero (IISD). They claim that it would be almost 100 times more effective, and much less costly, to significantly reduce vehicle emissions through more stringent standards, …
Benjamin Longmier, Michigan University, is developing the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT), a new rocket propulsion system powered by the Sun and propelled by water, which will push small spacecraft like CubeSats around and far beyond the Earth. They received a $200,000 private donation and have raised over $96,000 on Kickstarter. What can be enabled with …
Though many gene therapies have been tested in patients around the world in hopes of curing hereditary diseases, few governments have approved their sale, and none has been approved in the United States. That could change in coming years as several therapies enter advanced trials. Experts say it is likely to be a few years …
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) used a robotic arm to capture and attach a Cygnus cargo resupply spacecraft Sunday, marking several spaceflight firsts for NASA and its partner, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. The station’s Expedition 37 crew reported the spacecraft — loaded with about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo — …
D-Wave had the 512 qubit D-Wave 2 machine, which claims to be able solve some real-world problems faster than any other option available. NASA Ames, Lockheed and Google have both bought D-Wave machines. “We can make 120 quantum chips at a time, on an eight-inch wafer,” Colin Williams director of partnerships at D-Wave told TechWeekEurope. …
To enable frequent, low-cost opportunities to deliver nanosatellites to destinations beyond Earth orbit, TUI proposes to develop the “Nanosatellite Tethered High-Orbit Release” (NanoTHOR) module. The NanoTHOR module will enable multiple nanosatellites carried as secondary payloads on upper stages launched into GTO to be injected into Earth-escape trajectories by scavenging orbital momentum and propellant from the …
LA Times interview of Elon Musk of Spacex. Q – The movies provide us with two space future models: “Star Trek,” where a government agency governs space, versus “Alien,” where a private space mining company makes its own rules. A – We need a new archetype. I’ve talked to James Cameron about this. He’s got …
1. Ukraine could invest up to $25 billion by 2030 in the construction of new nuclear power facilities. The country plans to build nuclear reactors with combined capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030, according to the basic scenario of a draft updated energy strategy posted on the Energy and Coal Ministry’s website. By the end …
DNAsomes begin with short chains of synthetic DNA designed to be complementary over part of their length so they will join into microscopic Y-shapes. A lipid molecule is attached, and fluorescent dyes can be attached for tracking. Drugs or RNA are chemically bonded to the Y-shaped unit, then many units assembled into a sphere, about …