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Battery

Fern-inspired electrode could boost solar power by 3000 percent

Kelley Bergman
Prevent Disease
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 20:10 UTC
fern battery
Inspired by an American fern, researchers have developed a groundbreaking prototype that could be the answer to the storage challenge still holding solar back as a total energy solution.

Current solar cell on panels widely distributed to retailers offer a maximum of 16-25 percent efficiency rate. The best examples of traditional silicon solar cells top out at around 25 percent efficiency, whereas multi-junction cells have achieved more than 40 percent.

The new type of electrode created by RMIT University researchers could boost the capacity of existing integrable storage technologies by 3000 percent.

But the graphene-based prototype also opens a new path to the development of flexible thin film all-in-one solar capture and storage, bringing us one step closer to self-powering smart phones, laptops, cars and buildings.

The new electrode is designed to work with supercapacitors, which can charge and discharge power much faster than conventional batteries. Supercapacitors have been combined with solar, but their wider use as a storage solution is restricted because of their limited capacity.

RMIT's Professor Min Gu said the new design drew on nature's own genius solution to the challenge of filling a space in the most efficient way possible -- through intricate self-repeating patterns known as "fractals".
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Bulb

Miracle material can make seawater drinkable


RT
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 20:01 UTC
water
© Mark Tipple / Getty Images
Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink? The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may soon be left redundant now that scientists have devised a sieve made of 'miracle material' graphene capable of removing salt molecules from seawater, rendering it safe to drink.

When it was discovered by Andre Geim and his colleague Konstantin Novoselov, physics professors working at Manchester University around 2004, graphene was hailed as a ground-breaking discovery, with the media calling it a "wonder material."

The Guardian once suggested it "could change the world" because theoretically the unique properties of the thinnest material on Earth could allow it to carry 1,000 times more electricity than copper and thus make it a replacement for silicon in computer chips.

Graphene is also thought to be 150 times stronger than the equivalent weight of steel, effectively making it the strongest-measured material in existence.

It is also as flexible as rubber and can stretch to more than 100 percent of its length.

It seemed, however, that no one could find a real everyday use for graphene - until now, that is.

Comment: New graphene-based filter could help manage global water crisis

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Brain

Super SEALs' elite units to develop brain-stimulating technologies

Hope Hodge Seck
Military,com
Sun, 02 Apr 2017 00:00 UTC
weightlifter
© Halo Neuroscience
Using a product similar to this headset from Halo Neuroscience, the Navy SEAL community is conducting tests on neuro-stimulation technology.
At a conference near Washington, D.C., in February, the commander of all Navy special operations units made an unusual request to industry: Develop and demonstrate technologies that offer "cognitive enhancement" capabilities to boost his elite forces' mental and physical performance. "We plan on using that in mission enhancement," Rear Adm. Tim Szymanski said. "The performance piece is really critical to the life of our operators."

Szymanski expanded on his remarks in a brief interview later, saying he has his eye on a number of technologies, including pharmaceutical aids. But the results of one breakthrough involving the direct application of electrical stimulation to the brain have particularly caught his eye.

"In experiments, people who were watching these screens ... their ability to concentrate would fall off in about 20 minutes," Szymanski said. "But they did studies whereby a little bit of electrical stimulation was applied, and they were able to maintain the same peak performance for 20 hours."

Transcranial electrical stimulation was one of the technologies touted by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter in July 2016 as part of his Defense Innovation Unit (Experimental), or DIUx, initiative. Since then, multiple SEAL units have begun actively testing the effectiveness of the technology, officials with Naval Special Warfare Command told Military.com

Comment: Super soldiers, expendable at all costs.

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Sun

3 solar flares in 24hrs: Stunning images of sun eruptions


RT
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 12:38 UTC
The sun eruptions
© ASA / SDO
The sun has been snapped emitting three powerful blasts of radiation in recent days, causing some disruptions in the Earth's atmosphere. If strong enough, these solar events can interrupt GPS and communications signals around the world.

Solar flares are brief eruptions of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface. However, fear not, as "harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground," NASA says.

The flares sprang from the surface of the sun on Sunday and Monday. Images of the phenomenon leaping out from the sun's surface were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly watches our galaxy's glowing orb.
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Fish

First ever discovery of Europe's cave fish

Andy Coghlan
New Scientist
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 07:48 UTC
cavefish
© Jasminca Behrmann-Godel
Fast evolver
Europe's first cavefish has been discovered by a cave diver in Germany.

The pale-coloured loach, shown above, is thought to have diverged from surface fish as glaciers from the last ice age receded some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.

"Our first genetic studies, plus knowledge of the geological history of the region, suggest the cave loach population is amazingly young, certainly not older than 20,000 years," says Jasminca Behrmann-Godel at the University of Konstanz in Germany, who led the team that analysed the fish. "Despite this short time span, the fish show trademark adaptions to cave life compared with loaches from surface locations nearby, including a pale body colouration, much smaller eyes, plus larger nostrils and barbels."

It shows that adaptation to these subterranean habitats can be fast, and just a few thousand years might be enough for a fish to adapt to cave life, says Behrmann-Godel. "Cavefish could exist virtually everywhere in principle, and there's no good reason to expect long evolution times for them to adapt to cave environments," she says.
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Cell Phone

Electrifying images of Wifi show the hidden world of EMF's

Alanna Ketler
Collective Evolution
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 00:00 UTC
Wifi

Using an Android app and long exposure photography designer, Luis Hernan was able to depict what Wifi actually looks like.
Do you ever wonder what the electromangetic fields (EMFs) that surround virtually every person carrying a mobile device with WiFi or data capability looks like? Well now, thanks to visual artist Luis Hernan, you can see this field — and it's electrically terrifying!

Every single day over 3.2 billion people access the internet to connect with others around the world or to find information, listen to music, watch videos, read books — you name it, and it's on the internet and everyone wants access to it. WiFi technology has certainly enhanced our lives in many ways, but has this access to instant information and connection come at a cost?

Because we can't see the frequencies of our WiFi devices, it's easy to overlook the potential harm they might be causing. If we could see them, would it make us think twice about how often we are using them? Using an Android app and long exposure photography designer, Luis Hernan was able to depict what this actually looks like.

Comment: As vivid and interesting as these pictures are, the signals that are emitted by cellphones, laptops, modems and cell towers disrupt the normal functioning of the human nervous system and have been shown to cause numerous health problems such as headaches, depression, brain fog, anxiety and in some cases, cancer.

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Galaxy

Stunning interactive graphic reveals the path of every major meteor shower

Cheyenne MacDonald
Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 14:39 UTC
Interactive meteor graphic
© www.ianww.com
Every year, thousands of meteoroids crash into Earth's atmosphere, creating stunning displays of 'shooting stars' that can be seen from the surface below.

In a remarkable interactive website, researchers have plotted all the major meteor streams that orbit the sun, revealing the paths of those which give rise to meteor showers on Earth.

The visualization, created by engineer Ian Webster, allows users to view each stream in relation to our entire solar system or even watch from the perspective of Earth, showing the breathtaking magnitude of the space pebbles that bombard our planet.

The interactive site shows 12 different meteor showers that occur throughout the year, from the upcoming Lyrids in April to the Ursids in December. Or, you can choose to view every meteor shower at once.

The data comes from measurements by NASA's CAMS video camera surveillance network and calculations by meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center.
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Saturn

'Disturbances' in Saturn's rings snapped by Cassini (PHOTO)


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:05 UTC
Saturn's rings
© NASA
The Cassini space probe, which has been studying Saturn since 2004, has snapped a stunning photo of "disturbances" in the gas giant's rings in much higher resolution than ever before.

The unmanned spacecraft captured the image from a distance of nearly 70,000 miles (111,340 kilometers) as it cruised past on March 22.
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Info

Deranged Dating: Cometary Carbon-14


Malaga Bay
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 05:09 UTC
Cometary Carbon-14
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/W. Reach (SSC/Caltech)
Earth Scientists apparently accept radiocarbon dating as the gospel truth.

However, if the Settled Science that supports radiocarbon dating is really just one huge homogenised hodgepodge then acquiescent Earth Scientists are simply being misdirected and left to flounder in the dark.
This would go some way towards explaining why so many Earth Scientists are gainfully employed chasing their tails.

Thus, the mainstream gained the scientific kudos associated with Radiocarbon Dating whilst [simultaneously] wrestling control of the Settled Science away from Willard Libby by imposing a calibration curve that was approved by the mainstream.

Sadly, this hybrid, high jacked and half-baked Settled Science has now degenerated into a recursive [incestuous] feedback loop where dendrochronology calibrates Radiocarbon Dating which, in its turn, is used to calibrate dendrochronology.

See: Carbon 14 - Libby's Ring
Carbon Dating
© Malaga Bay
Amongst the many issues associated with the Settled Science of radiocarbon dating there is the curious case of Catastrophic Cometary Carbon-14.

Arguably, the burning up of a cometary debris train in the Earth's atmosphere would significantly enhance the level of atmospheric Carbon-14.
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Top Secret

Telekinesis: A real life psychokinetic in action

Arjun Walia
Collective Evolution
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:41 UTC
Psychokinesis

Nina Kulagina was a Russian housewife who was documented by scientists as being able to move objects with the power of her mind.
Psychokinesis is the ability to move material objects using the power of mind alone. It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but there is ample evidence to suggest that humans are capable of moving objects with their minds. Should this prove true, it would be fascinating to say the least, and would suggest that all human beings have this potential. Of course, the implications of psychokinesis for humanity as a whole would be immense, and we as a species may not be ready to handle them just yet. We would need to be at a pretty peaceful place within to harness such an ability responsibly. This is why new discoveries are useless without a good consciousness behind their use, and why we say real change comes from within.

What type of evidence is there? In today's world, something must be peer-reviewed in order to be considered credible. The unfortunate part about this is that science as an institution has become highly politicized, plagued by corruption and the publication of false data. When it comes to topics within the realm of parapsychology, however, results are more reliable. No agenda is driving these experiments, and so they are conducted and their results measured objectively — unlike many corporately funded medical studies. Scientific fraud is important to mention any time we are talking about 'peer-reviewed' scientific literature, so the next time you decide to brush off other publications (even though they are usually all 'peer-reviewed' in some form), take a second to think about this fact. You can see specific examples of this corruption in this article.
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