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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 88

Dec 27, 2023

Tesla Giga Shanghai to release 2024 Model Y refresh

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Tesla Giga Shanghai plans to release 2024 Model Y refresh as competition heats up in China.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Gigafactory Shanghai is already preparing to produce the 2024 refresh Model Y. Mass production on the new Model Y is expected to start by mid-2024.

The new Model Y units will be produced in the new phase of Gigafactory Shanghai. Production in the second phase of Tesla China’s factory will be suspended during New Year’s for upgrades. More updates to the Model Y assembly line will be made after the holidays.

Dec 27, 2023

Full-day, Solar-powered, Bidirectional Thermoregulatory Clothing that can respond to Changing Temperatures

Posted by in categories: materials, sustainability

A team of engineers, materials scientists and chemists at Nankai University, in China, has developed a microfiber-based meta-fabric that provides full-day thermoregulation of body temperature during periods of changing external temperatures.

In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they developed their fabrics, how they work and how well they performed when tested. Xingyi Huang and Pengli, both with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in China, have published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue outlining the work done by the team.

As the researchers note, clothing keeps people warm when it is cold, and in some cases, can help people stay cool in hot temperatures. Prior research efforts have attempted to extend the capabilities of clothing by adding heating or cooling elements, but thus far, most such products have proven to be too bulky for general use.

Dec 27, 2023

US startup ditches towers for pyramid-mounted turbines that dance with wind

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

An innovative floating offshore wind turbine prototype was launched in New Bedford, Massachusetts this week. Instead of a single anchor tower, the approach uses a pyramid base that can also passively orient itself in the direction of the blowing wind.

As wind turbines get bigger and sweep larger areas in a single rotation, wind farms move offshore to gain maximum advantage from powerful sea winds. Over the years, the costs of wind-based energy have been plummeting, but as wind farms are set up farther into the sea, the costs and time required to set up new wind farms are bound to increase.

Dec 27, 2023

Pioneering collaboration introduces US’ first vertical agrivoltaics system

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

Join the green revolution! iSun and Next2Sun are reshaping the energy landscape with the US’s first vertical agrivoltaics system.


Embark on a sustainable energy journey as iSun and Next2Sun unite to introduce the first-ever vertical agrivoltaics system in the USA.

Dec 26, 2023

AI Is Ravenous for Energy. Can It Be Satisfied?

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation

The revolution in artificial intelligence may soon require more electricity than all electric vehicles combined.

Dec 26, 2023

Real Life SEX ROBOTS Are Coming — The Dangers Of Seductive AI

Posted by in categories: business, robotics/AI, sex, sustainability

One of the early opportunities for Optimus to which Elon has alluded.

Disrupting prostitution, OnlyFans and the female profiteering off men’s emotional and sexual needs.

Continue reading “Real Life SEX ROBOTS Are Coming — The Dangers Of Seductive AI” »

Dec 26, 2023

Simple, sustainable path unlocked to long-sought superior carbon nanotube materials

Posted by in categories: energy, nanotechnology, sustainability

Carbon nanotubes have long tantalized researchers with their extraordinary mechanical and electronic properties. As one-dimensional nanostructures with remarkable mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, CNTs have been eyed for next-generation composites, energy storage devices, sensors and more. Yet realizing their promise has proven an enduring challenge.

CNTs have ultra-high surface energy and readily form large bundles rather than remaining as individualized tubes, severely compromising resultant material properties. Exfoliating these bundles, particularly in solution, has remained an immense difficulty despite intense R&D efforts over 30+ years employing covalent and noncovalent functionalization strategies.

Covalent approaches disrupt the CNTs’ pristine sp2 carbon networks, damaging their intrinsic properties. Noncovalent methods like surfactants and polymers have had limited success in debundling smaller diameter single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs), especially longer high aspect ratio tubes preferred for optimal conductivity and strength. And virtually all tactics have struggled to exfoliate specific SWCNT types, hindering enrichment in metallic SWCNTs boasting far higher conductance than their semiconducting counterparts.

Dec 26, 2023

Applying MXene to quantum dot photovoltaic cells simultaneously increases efficiency and stability

Posted by in categories: engineering, quantum physics, solar power, sustainability

A research team led by Professor Jong-min Choi of the Department of Energy Engineering has developed a technology that can significantly improve the efficiency of quantum dot photovoltaic cells by introducing organic solvent dispersible MXene.

The findings were published in Advanced Energy Materials (“Organic solvent dispersible MXene integrated colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics”).

Comparison of the dispersibility of quantum dot solar cell ink organic solvent according to surface modification of MXene. (Image: DGIST)

Dec 26, 2023

One Step Closer to Living on Mars: AI Unlocks Secrets of Oxygen Production on the Red Planet

Posted by in categories: chemistry, robotics/AI, solar power, space, sustainability

Immigration to and living on Mars have often been themes in science fiction. Before these dreams can become reality, humanity faces significant challenges, such as the scarcity of vital resources like oxygen needed for long-term survival on the Red Planet. Yet, recent discoveries of water activity on Mars have sparked new hope for overcoming these obstacles.

Scientists are now exploring the possibility of decomposing water to produce oxygen through electrochemical water oxidation driven by solar power with the help of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. The challenge is to find a way to synthesize these catalysts in situ using materials on Mars, instead of transporting them from the Earth, which is of high cost.

Dec 26, 2023

Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Being, Suggests New Theory

Posted by in categories: alien life, climatology, sustainability

This was suggested by Gustave Fechner and other philosophers.


How about planets? Can they have minds? This idea, that planets are also conscious beings, seems to be at the heart of a new theory put forth by astrobiologists. The premise of this thought experiment is that bacteria and plants working together have altered planets like Earth, giving them a new lease on life.

This research, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, provides a scale by which planets’ intelligence can be evaluated. It’s shocking to consider an extraterrestrial organism intelligent rather than a sentient animal like a human. But in a way, a planet can have a “green mind”; this paradigm suggests novel approaches to coping with climate change, technological upheaval, and other emergencies.

Continue reading “Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Being, Suggests New Theory” »

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