Spacex – Today the U.S. Air Force issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NRO and NASA that serves as a joint agreement on the process they will use to allow new companies to compete to provide launch services. The MOU will be followed by detailed guidance for prospective new entrants. “SpaceX welcomes the …
China’s GDP expanded 9.1 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of the year, the slowest pace since the third quarter of 2009. China’s strong retail sales growth suggests that there is a shift to greater domestic demand. The slow moderation in GDP is indicating a softening of growth instead of a collapse. The growth rate …
OmniTouch, a wearable projection system developed by researchers at Microsoft Research and Carnegie Mellon University, enables users to turn pads of paper, walls or even their own hands, arms and legs into graphical, interactive surfaces. OmniTouch employs a depth-sensing camera, similar to the Microsoft Kinect, to track the user’s fingers on everyday surfaces. This allows …
New Scientist – In Sinko’s original plan for removing space junk, spacecraft carry thrusters with two types of propellant, each responding to a different laser wavelength. To fire a thruster, a laser beam is shone on it, vaporising propellant to create thrust and so push the spacecraft onto a new course. The propellants fire in …
Nuclear Ammonia – A Sustainable Nuclear Renaissance’s ‘Killer App’ (114 pages, Darryl Siemer, Idaho National Lab (retired), with Kirk Sorensen, FLiBe Energy, Bob Hargraves, Institute for Lifelong, Education at Dartmouth College, 8TH Annual NH3 Fuel Conference 19-21Sep11) Ammonia could replace all fossil fuels Ammonia can fuel vehicles requiring range and power that cannot be provided …
Ohio State University – For the first time, researchers have found a way to inject a precise dose of a gene therapy agent directly into a single living cell without a needle. The technique uses electricity to “shoot” bits of therapeutic biomolecules through a tiny channel and into a cell in a fraction of a …
Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a new nanomaterial that can “steer” electrical currents. The development could lead to a computer that can simply reconfigure its internal wiring and become an entirely different device, based on changing needs. As electronic devices are built smaller and smaller, the materials from which the circuits are constructed begin …
Science – Correction of Sickle Cell Disease in Adult Mice by Interference with Fetal Hemoglobin Silencing Harvard – flipping a single molecular switch can reverse illness in an animal model of sickle cell disease, according to a study by Harvard researchers. When a protein called BCL11A is turned off, the body is able to manufacture …
BBC News – The nitrogen-fixing roots of certain trees provide valuable nutrients to resource-poor arable land Planting trees that improve soil quality can help boost crop yields for African farmers, an assessment shows. Fertiliser tree systems (FTS) also help boost food security and play a role in “climate proofing” the region’s arable land, the paper …
Computer World – Rossi has another demonstration scheduled in Bologna, Italy, for Oct. 28 for which he has partnered with a U.S. company, AmpEnergo, to build what is claimed to be a 1MW plant in a shipping container. Mainly the article reviews what is already known, but it indicates that some attention is being paid …
The Economist magazine compares India and China over 13 metrics. China is far ahead on most of the statistical comparisons with longer life expectancy, more literacy and a better economy. The most recent 2011 Indian census statistics show an improvement in the literacy rate to 74% in India. China’s hidden economy adds another 25% to …