| June 2010 |
Solar based power play |
| Solaren |
California is forging ahead with a plan to beam power from spacebased solar panels as early as 2016. In a deal approved by state regulators, start-up Solaren will provide 1 700 gigawatt-hours of... |more| |
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Why apes can't talk |
| Humanity’s ability to communicate through vocal language has a genetic component that chimps lack. |
Why are humans the only species capable of having a verbal conversation? New research indicates the answer may involve more than the presence of specialised vocal cords. Neurobiologist Genevieve... |more| |
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Merging metal |
| Industrial engineers go beyond arc welding to fuse massive sheets of alloys. |
Joining the giant aluminium alloy plates used on large ships and spacecraft usually requires teams of workers with handheld arc welders. But having to rely on human labour can cause costly... |more| |
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Big future for little fliers |
| Don't let the size fool you. |
Don’t let the size of micro-air vehicles, or MAVs, fool you. Although some measure less than 30 cm across, these remote-control reconnaissance planes have proven to be deft, powerful... |more| |
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Smooth operator |
| The Yogi Cam |
It can be difficult for documentary nature filmmakers to shoot Hollywood-style scenes that move seamlessly with wildlife on the hoof. Documentarians for the Discovery Channel’s series, Life, have... |more| |
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Hospital in a hurry |
| Doctors Without Borders |
When a disaster destroys a city’s medical facilities, victims rely on field hospitals to provide care. In undeveloped nations, poor infrastructure makes transporting the tons of necessary... |more| |
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The hardware of wind power |
| The wind might be free, but it will cost plenty of money to deliver the electricity it generates. |
The wind might be free, but it will cost plenty of money to deliver the electricity it generates. According to a recent report by the US Department of Energy, supplying an extra 225 000 megawatts... |more| |
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A real energy drink |
Researchers create an all-liquid-metal battery that could allow alternative power schemes to flourish.
- By Michael Belfiore |
Plans to add renewable power sources to the electric grid have a common problem: weak, expensive and small batteries that can’t guarantee there will be juice when the wind isn’t blowing or the Sun... |more| |
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| May 2010 |
Giving insanity a good name |
| Seabreacher X |
Since humans and dolphins share an ancestor, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t emulate our mammalian cousins and frolic in the waves. In fact, millions of us do just that every day.But there’s... |more| |
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Grim victory for rocket rebels |
| Ares V |
Ending months of speculation, US President Barack Obama in February released his plan for Nasa’s future – a plan without a return to the Moon. The budget kills all spending on the Constellation... |more| |
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