Here is a video showing what General Fusion is doing. As previously described: if you can get within ten to hundred times the cost of regular power, you would still have huge uses for nuclear fusion. You could revolutionize space travel even if it costs more for nuclear fusion than it does for regular power. …
Steven Chu, nobel prize winning physicist, has been named Energy Secretary Steven Chu is pro-nuclear and has a deep understanding of all the technical issues around energy. This is a great choice. It is definitely an example of real change from the previous Bush administration in selecting extreme competence. It is not in any way …
The International Energy Agency has made a new comprehensive forecast of world energy from now until 2030. The conclusions are: Current energy trends are patently unsustainable —socially, environmentally, economically– Oil will remain the leading energy source but…> The era of cheap oil is over, although price volatility will remain> Oilfield decline is the key determinant …
There were two interesting developments in physics : 1. higher volume metamaterial production could enable practical uses out of the lab and 2.small magnetosphere (several hundred of meters instead of 100+ kilometers wide) radiation protection for space travellers. This could enable light weight and safe protection for astronauts going to Mars. UPDATE: The minimagnetosphere system …
Professor Peter Weyand, Southern Methodist University (Texas), known for his expertise in terrestrial locomotion and human and animal performance says that humans would soon have the ability to modify and greatly enhance muscle fibre strength. This would enable speeds of 45 miles per hour and 5 seconds times for 100 meters. The fast four-legged runners …
By fabricating an optical cavity around light-emitting nanotube mirrors at the bottom and top, wavelengths were confined to the desired 1.55-micron communications frequency. IBM researchers see a development path to light emitting nanotubes with no waste heat and a way to create a superlattice array of tubes for silicon photonic chips for optical computers. EETimes …
Areva and the University of Idaho have signed an agreement to develop technology for recovering uranium from incinerator ash at Areva’s uranium fuel plant in Richland, Washington state. The process also reduces the amount of ash classified as radioactive waste. Chien Wai, a chemistry professor at the University of Idaho, has developed a process that …
Japan considering Using gene engineered seaweed to get million of tons of Uranium The Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) has recently recommended Japan mass-culture seaweed to collect natural resources such as bio-ethanol and uranium. In the “Apollo and Poseidon Initiative 2025,” MRI suggests that Japan cultures gulfweed, which can grow more than 2 metres high a …
Memjet technology, radically faster 360 page per minute printers, have been delayed until 2009. Silverbrook’s technology (which will be commercialized under the business name Memjet) was supposed to be released in early 2008, according to what company executives told me then. Now, a company spokeswoman says that the “A4/letter printhead and related components” will be …
Members of the Quantum Simulations Group at Lawrence Livermore National Labs provide an extensive discussion of how thermoelectrics can replace freon based refrigerators when inexpensive thermoelectric materials reach a ZT of 3. The Livermore group has begun working on simulations [modeling material processes using quantum molecular dynamics methods] for a diverse group of technological applications. …
The blood test requires a 10 milliliter blood sample — just two teaspoons. It takes about eight hours to send the blood across the 80,000 tiny columns so a specially designed antibody glue can latch onto passing cancer cells. It was used to detect cancer in 27 people and helped to track the progress of …