Lifeboat Foundation

It “lasts more than three times as long” as lithium-ion, according to EnerVenue CEO Jorg Heinemann.

With the advent of space tourism for the world’s wealthiest and a looming global recession, there has been a predictable increase in arguments against public spending on space technologies.

However, those calling to halt space operations often ignore the immense benefits space technologies bring us here on Earth. Obvious examples come in the form of GPS and the many satellites used to investigate the effects of climate change.

High-performance computing (HPC) has become an essential tool for processing large datasets and simulating nature’s most complex systems. However, researchers face difficulties in developing more intensive models because Moore’s Law—which states that computational power doubles every two years—is slowing, and memory bandwidth still cannot keep up with it. But scientists can speed up simulations of complex systems by using compression algorithms running on AI hardware.

A team led by computer scientist Hatem Ltaief are tackling this problem head-on by employing hardware designed for artificial intelligence (AI) to help scientists make their code more efficient. In a paper published in the journal High Performance Computing, they now report making simulations up to 150 times faster in the diverse fields of climate modeling, astronomy, seismic imaging and wireless communications.

Previously, Ltaief and co-workers showed that many scientists were riding the wave of hardware development and “over-solving” their models, carrying out lots of unnecessary calculations.

Comparing individual cells across corn, sorghum and millet reveals evolutionary differences among these important cereal crops, according to a new study led by New York University researchers.

The findings, published in Nature, bring researchers closer to pinpointing which genes control important agricultural traits such as drought tolerance, which will help scientists faced with a changing climate adapt crops to drier environments.

Corn, sorghum, and millet provide food for humans and animals around the world. Corn and sorghum are ancient relatives that evolved into two different species roughly 12 million years ago, and millet is a more distant relative.

TerraPower, founded by billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 2008, is opening a new nuclear power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The plant will be the first of its kind, with the company hoping to revolutionize the nuclear energy industry in the U.S. to help fight climate change and support American energy independence.

“Nuclear energy, if we do it right, will help us solve our climate goals,” Gates told ABC News. “That is, get rid of the greenhouse gas emissions without making the electricity system far more expensive or less reliable.”

Gates met with ABC News’ chief business, economics, and technology correspondent Rebecca Jarvis in Kemmerer to talk about the project.

This is really for the general public — and for people new to fusion. I gave a 20 minute talk** to a local group in Pittsburgh. We decided to record the audio, and put it out on the web for other people to enjoy. The top Ten things you should know about fusion are:

10. We have Been Doing It For Years.
9. We Know How To Make It Work.
8. You Can Do Fusion At Home.
7. The US Really Funded Fusion For about 15 year.
6. There Is More Than One Method.
5. Fusion Startups Are Real.
4. We Need A Pipeline.
3. China Is Taking An Interest.
2. Superconductors Are Game Changers.
1. Climate Change Is Not Waiting.

Continue reading “Top 10 Things You Should Know About Fusion — March 2019” »

New insights into how X-ray flashes are produced during lightning strikes have been made by research.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xCaPasy-eXA

Volcanoes are enigmatic and formidable forces of nature, with unbelievable power that can shatter the very foundation of the Earth.

These colossal mountains of molten rock and ash have the ability to unleash devastation on a scale that is beyond human comprehension. While most of us don’t have to see the deadly effects of volcanic eruptions everyday, it doesn’t mean that they don’t happen.

Continue reading “NASA Just Announced That A 50mi Eruption Has Cracked Open The Seafloor At Hunga Tonga” »

The first deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck are expected to take place later this year, and there are still a handful of unknowns about the futuristic truck. In recent weeks, however, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared some details about the vehicle, alongside some included in the automaker’s latest Master Plan.

In its Master Plan 3 unveiled on April 5, Tesla stated that the Cybertruck will have a 100 kWh battery pack. However, it’s not clear if this refers to a base model or another specific variant, as reported by The Street. The battery pack size is the same as those of the Model S and X, Tesla’s premium-level sedan and SUV, despite the truck being a wider and heavier vehicle than these.

Cybertruck rivals in the electric pickup sector include the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning, which feature 135 kWh and 131 kWh battery packs, respectively. The Cybertruck will also include a 3,500-pound payload capacity, adjustable air suspension, and lockable exterior storage measuring about 100 cubic feet.

The potential new mineral was discovered in a chunk of “fossilized lightning,” or fulgurite, that was left behind when a tree in Florida was struck by lightning.