new scientific discoveries

[Rosbjerg]

Not so much a discovery, but a really nice little video showing our blue planet from the ISS.

 

[Gorth]

Your tax money at work

 

Batman's gliding method debunked

 

"Four students from the University of Leicester have calculated that the superhero's method of using his cape to glide from tall buildings would result in him hitting the ground at life-threatening speeds."

 

"The team found that if Batman jumped from a building 150 metres high, he could successfully glide a distance of about 350m.

But he probably wouldn't survive the landing, due to the high speeds reached during his descent."

 

"The students calculated that his impact with the ground would be equivalent to him being struck by a car travelling at 80km/h.

One of the students, David Marshall, 22, said: 'If Batman wanted to survive the flight, he would definitely need a bigger cape.'"

 

Batman, you are busted!

[Gfted1]

HP Memristors Will Reinvent Computer Memory

[Gfted1]

Record-breaking Laser Hits 500 Trillion Watts.

[obyknven]

 

http://2045.com/

[Gorgon]

Disturbing to say the least, but it raises an interesting question. What happens when you will be able to buy more life with money. In a general health sense we are already there, but when the very rich become immortal. Will it be time to reimagine the monetary system, will a revolution succeed, or will they divide and conquer like they always have.

[obyknven]

http://youtu.be/01hbkh4hXEk

[Wrath of Dagon]

Subconscious password : http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/21/guitar-hero-clone-used-to-teach-unknowable-subconscious-passwor/

[Morgoth]

http://youtu.be/01hbkh4hXEk

 

That's really cool.

 

But I'm afraid to say Russia will not play much of a role in that development.

[Gorgon]

It's not so much a discovery as wishful thinking though.

[WDeranged]

 

http://2045.com/

 

[Gorgon]

 

 

I dunno, he looks kinda shifty. I get more spoon bender than visionary.

[Gfted1]

NASA's Curiosity Rover Lands on Mars.

[Malcador]

Was fun watching that live, the NASA guys were really excited when it touched down. Didn't stay up to watchh photos or anything though, damn NASA not doing the landing earlier in EST

[Monte Carlo]

It's astonishing. Not being scientifically minded, it literally makes my jaw drop.

 

Kudos to NASA.

[Rosbjerg]

Speaking of Curiosity.

 

http://www.360cities.net/image/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2#403.32,-4.84,110.0

[Gorth]

Speaking of Curiosity.

 

http://www.360cities....32,-4.84,110.0

NASA is almost as bad as Google street view, sticking their nose everywhere

[Gfted1]

Scientists teleport info 90 miles across islands.

[kirottu]

Scientists teleport info 90 miles across islands.

While quantum teleportation is subject to the cosmic speed limit, the speed of light, the technology could be harnessed to create satellite communications networks that are super-secure.

 

I did not know that.

Edited August 15, 2012 by kirottu

[Gfted1]

Abundant Natural Gas and Oil Are Putting the Kibosh on Clean Energy.

[Gfted1]

Watch Curiosity Plummet to the Martian Surface in Incredible HD.

[Humodour]

Abundant Natural Gas and Oil Are Putting the Kibosh on Clean Energy.

 

Unfortunately natural gas has something called 'fugitive emissions' which are largely unavoidable leaks during drilling, processing and transport. When these leaks are considered, natural gas as a fuel is actually worse to use than even the burning of coal, since these fugitive emissions, being methane, are a far more potent (about 20 times as bad over a 100 year time span) greenhouse gas than CO2 (the byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels, including methane itself).

 

That is to say: when natural gas (methane) is burnt, the combination of its CO2 emissions + its fugitive methane emissions is worse for exacerbating global warming than burning coal.

 

Governments and businesses do like it though because it appears cleaner given that nobody counts fugitive emissions (i.e. fugitive emissions are a negative externality in a negative externality). A sad flaw, but one you'd expect from our current system of energy planning without heed to long-term thought but with lots of heed to mining and fossil fuel lobbyists.

 

Solar and wind power continue to fall in price. In many areas of the world these technologies are already below grid parity in their region (e.g. wind power in Texas, I believe). Nothing is going to stop that trend, even as businesses switch from coal to natural gas, because natural gas is considered (wrongly) a transition fuel to zero-emission energy sources (i.e. people still acknowledge it emits greenhouse gases and that this is unacceptable in the long-term).

Edited August 22, 2012 by Krezack

[pmp10]

NIF fails yet again.

Shouldn't really surprise anyone aware of NIF history & accomplishments.

[Junai]

So, UFOs or dead pixels?..

[Gorth]

Not really a new discovery, more an anniversary of an invention.

 

Happy Birthday LED

 

The old guy turns 50 this month.