Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 512
Jan 16, 2019
Say ‘bye bye’ to faulty mobile phones and solar cells
Posted by James Christian Smith in categories: mobile phones, solar power, sustainability
Jan 14, 2019
What will people wear in the future? | The Economist
Posted by Derick Lee in categories: finance, robotics/AI, sustainability, wearables
Innovation in fashion is sparking radical change. In the future clothes could be computers, made with materials designed and grown in a lab.
Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: https://econ.st/2xvTKdy
Continue reading “What will people wear in the future? | The Economist” »
Jan 12, 2019
Denmark Is Building Nine Gigantic Artificial Islands
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: business, sustainability
Authorities in Denmark plan to build nine artificial islands off the coast of Copenhagen with a total area of more than 32 million square feet (3 million square meters.) The hope is that the new islands, which will be called “Holmene,” will become a futuristic hub for sustainable business and commerce.
“I think this could become a sort of European Silicon Valley,” said Brian Mikkelsen, the head of the Danish chamber of commerce, in an interview with The Guardian.
Jan 12, 2019
Project to Eradicate Termites Reveals How Much Rainforests Need Them
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: climatology, sustainability
Homeowners tend to equate termites with property value apocalypse, but ecologically speaking, they’re more a force of stability than destruction. A new study points to how termites can help the rainforests they call home to weather droughts—which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as climate change causes the tropics to heat up.
Termites are found across the tropics, where they feed on wood and dead leaves and build mounds that can sometimes be seen from space. Despite the wide-ranging influence of these ecological engineers, there’s been little research on how termites impact the ability of the forests they call home to withstand one of the biggest natural disturbances they face: drought.
Jan 10, 2019
Elon Musk Says Next-Gen Tesla Roadster Will Hover in the Air Using SpaceX Tech
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: Elon Musk, space travel, sustainability
The feature will be part of a SpaceX add-on package that uses thrusters to aid in acceleration and cornering.
Jan 10, 2019
This AI food truck could bring fresh produce directly to you
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: food, robotics/AI, sustainability
Check out the SPACe_C eMart, the ice cream truck-style food delivery service of the future that offers fresh food and educates consumers on farm-to-table eating.
Jan 8, 2019
These $2,000 solar panels pull clean drinking water out of the air, and they might be a solution to the global water crisis
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: solar power, sustainability
Zero Mass Water produces solar panels that pull water out of the air, filter it, and deliver it to your home faucet.
Jan 8, 2019
‘Flipped’ metal oxide cage can sort CO2 from CO
Posted by James Christian Smith in categories: particle physics, space, sustainability
How do you separate carbon dioxide from carbon monoxide? One way, showcased by a new study from Kanazawa University, is to use a bowl of vanadium. More precisely, a hollow, spherical cluster of vanadate molecules can discriminate between CO and CO2, allowing potential uses in CO2 storage and capture.
At the molecular scale, small objects can fit inside larger ones, just like in the everyday world. The resulting arrangements, known as host-guest interactions, are stabilized by non-covalent forces like electrostatics and hydrogen bonds. Each host will happily take in certain molecules, while shutting out others, depending on the size of its entrance and how much interior space it can offer the guest.
Anion structures of CH2 Cl2 (guest)-inserted V12 (left) and guest-free V12 are shown. Orange and red square pyramids represent VO 5 units with their bases directed to the center of the bowl, and the inverted VO 5 unit. Green and black spheres represent Cl and C, respectively. Hydrogen atoms of CH2 Cl2 are omitted for clarity. (Image: Kanazawa University)
Jan 7, 2019
Why the Future of Solar Power Is from Space
Posted by James Christian Smith in categories: solar power, space, sustainability
Over seven decades ago in 1941, Isaac Asimov wrote a short story, “Reason” (PDF), in which energy captured from the sun was transmitted via microwave beams to nearby planets from a space station. Flash forward to today, scientists are looking to make that very science fiction dream a reality for Earth.
There has been tremendous research on space-based solar power (SBSP) or space solar power (SSP) since the mid 20th century. Here is a great timeline of the various international studies and projects related to SBSP.
Continue reading “Why the Future of Solar Power Is from Space” »