Nanocomposite solids can be made into helium resistant materials to enable progress to nuclear fusion and other applications

Texas A and M researchers investigated how helium behaves in nanocomposite solids, materials made of stacks of thick metal layers. Their findings were a surprise. Rather than making bubbles, the helium in these materials formed long channels, resembling veins in living tissues. “We were blown away by what we saw,” Demkowicz said. “As you put …

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Telsa Motors will begin pilot production of the Model 3 on Feb 20 2017 and full production should start July2017

Tesla has told suppliers it planned to begin test-building its Model 3 sedans on Feb. 20, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that could allay concerns about the company meeting its target to start production in July. The sources did not know how many of the highly anticipated vehicles Tesla aimed to …

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John Kutsch provides an informative energy rant and another video debunks Caldicott

The morning after Thorium Energy Alliance #6 (TEAC6) ended, John Kutsch engaged in a hotel-room interview. John is concerned about global warming and ocean acidification, yet does not see solar or wind as an effective means of lowering our carbon emissions. “Incompetence often looks like conspiracy so I try to fall on the side of …

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Cleveland Clinics lists of top ten medical innovations 2011, 2012 and 2013

The Cleveland Clinic lists Top 10 Medical Innovations that will have a major impact on improving patient care within the next year for 2013. The list is made up of devices, including a handheld optical scan for melanoma; drugs; diagnostic tests, such as 3D mammography; and a government program that financially rewards patients for improving …

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China Changsha unveils US$130 billion municipal investment plan

Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, unveiled a package of infrastructure and industry projects Thursday that would require total investments of 829.2 billion yuan ($130.2 billion), a move to stimulate local economic growth. The government plans to stimulate economy by investing in infrastructure, finance, power generation and tourism. The Changsha city government unveiled 195 …

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Optically Switchable Chiral Terahertz Metamolecules

A multi-institutional team of researchers that included scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has created the first artificial molecules whose chirality can be rapidly switched from a right-handed to a left-handed orientation with a beam of light. This holds potentially important possibilities for the application of terahertz technologies …

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SpaceX’s Reusable Grasshopper Rocket will start having test flights within two months

SpaceFlightNow – SpaceX’s Grasshopper testbed for a reusable rocket booster could fly soon from the company’s Texas test facility on a short hop designed to demonstrate its ability to take off and land under thrust on a launch pad. The Grasshopper test vehicle stands 106 feet tall, and its initial flights will reach 240 feet …

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Researchers ‘Print’ Polymers That Bend Into 3-D Shapes

NSF.gov – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst employed photographic techniques and polymer science to develop a new technique for printing two-dimensional sheets of polymers that can fold into three-dimensional shapes when water is added. The technique may lead to wide ranging practical applications from medicine to robotics. The technique could be used to …

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South Korea has two new nuclear power plants, China invests in nuclear research and Energy in Saskatchewan

1. World Nuclear News – South Korea’s two newest nuclear reactors, Shin Kori 2 and Shin Wolsong 1, have been connected to the grid. Shin Kori 2 started up in December 2011 and was connected to the grid in January, joining Shin Kori 1 which entered commercial operation in early 2011. Meanwhile, Shin Wolsong 1 …

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GPS IIIA on track to deliver three times the accuracy starting in 2014

Lockheed Martin has successfully completed on-schedule a System Design Review (SDR) for the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIIB satellite increment under the U.S. Air Force’s next generation GPS III program. GPS III will improve position, navigation and timing services and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy and reliability for users around the …

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