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UK to Power Electric Cars with Small Nuke Plants

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Nuclear Energy Hot in UK  Nuclear Facility UK British Small Nuclear Plants Britain is leading the way in the use of small nuclear power plants as a renewable energy source. The purpose is to replace coal and gas and to power a growing fleet of electric cars. The UK has 2 new and large nuclear plants going on line in 2025 and there are plans for more. The British government has pledged $71 million for R&D on small plants and hopes to have them operational in the 2020's. Aging Energy Infrastructure Britain's old coal and nuclear facilities are scheduled for shutdown by 2025.  Because of that, there is strong demand for sources of low-carbon electricity to meet energy needs and also meet the nation's clean energy goals.  That's the rationale and attraction for small nuclear power plants. Small Nukes and Unprecedented Energy Demands Experts say in the next decades there's going to be unprecedented demand for low carbon electricity capacity to replace c

New Generation of High Definition Tech

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Brighter, Lighter Smart Phones & TVs Scientists have developed a process that could open a new generation of high definition technology. This will pave the way for lighter, brighter and more energy efficient smartphones and TVs. Quantum Dots They've discovered that quantum dots, which are small semiconductors that radiate bright colors, improve screen displays of televisions and smartphones.  The research was done by scientists at Queen's University Belfast and ETH Zurich. Connecting the Dots They clustered the quantum dots which are highly valued for their vibrant colors.  By putting the dots together they were even more brilliant and florescent. They also created their own quantum dots which enhanced the vibrancy. 50% More Color for Screen Displays The researchers say this will increase the number of colors displays can present by 50%. They add, this new process is ushering in a new generation of high definition technology within 3 years.

Seaweed Bioplastics Wins vs. Plastics

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World Economic Forum Innovation Winner Evoware of Indonesia & Its Seaweed Bioplastics Global Bioplastics Contender from Seaweed Evoware, an Indonesia-based company, makes edible bioplastics from seaweed for use as food wrappings and packets.  Their nature based innovation in bioplastics landed them as a top winner in the World Economic Forum's Global Design Challenge to rid the world of plastic throwaways that are jeopardizing our oceans and environment.  Here's a look at what a common natural substance like seaweed can do to make an environmental difference. Bioplastics that Are Edible, Biodegradable & a Lot More This is an edible alternative to commonly used multi-layered plastic wrappings.  It's directly manufactured from plant material making it edible and nutritious.  According to the New Plastics Economy, an initiative led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, you can eat your burger with this wrapping or dissolve your coffee packet in hot water and drink

"Lab on a Chip" is Here

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 Medical Tests Possible on Coin Sized Chip University of Buffalo Success Researchers at the University of Buffalo have done what many others have tried without success.  They're created medical tests on a chip the size of a coin.  They've demonstrated how their chip accurately determines the eight blood types based on the time it takes each to flow thru the chip. Medical Tech Breakthrough This is a breakthrough.  The obstacle has been finding a reliable and efficient way to mix and move blood and other fluids thru a chip's tiny pumps and valves.  The UB team have done it.  They fabricated a chip that uses two different types of forces - capillary & vacuum driven - to move the fluids in micro and nanosized channels.  This advance solves a difficult problem that has been an obstacle to labs on a chip. Big Vision for Med Labs on Chips The expectations for the use of labs on chips are big, including in the developing world, on battlefields and in our homes.  Ima

A Robot's Behind the Wheel With My Groceries

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World's 1st Driverless Grocery Deliveries Start in Phoenix This Fall Nuro Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain, and California-based driverless car company Nuro have teamed-up for what they call "the world's first, driverless grocery delivery service".  They're offering to Phoenix residents inexpensive, same day delivery thru Kroger's ClickList ordering system and Nuro's app. It rolls out this fall. Nuro's Vehicles "Teleporting" The vehicles are all electric, with no seats and no humans onboard.  Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson says "we can deliver anything, anytime, anywhere.  We like to call it a local teleportation service." As you can see in the photo, the vehicles looks a bit like a toaster on wheels.  It weighs 1500 pounds, most of which is the battery that powers the electric motor.  It's about the length of an SUV but it's only 3.5 feet wide. Nuro's No-Passenger Mantra Nuro's strategy

Biobattery, Biodegradable & Works

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Biodegradable, Hybrid Biobatteries Take-off Researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton have developed a breakthrough biobattery, that's been eluding the engineering and scientific communities for decades.  It's paper-based, eco-friendly and hybrid.  On top of that, it's inexpensive and performs well. The problems this SUNY team have overcome are making the battery easy to produce, really biodegradable and powerful enough. Eco-Friendly Alternative The hybrid paper battery is easy to produce, flexible and biodegradable.  It has much higher power-to-cost ratio than previously reported paper-based microbial batteries.  This one uses a hybrid of paper and engineered polymers.  The polymers are the key to making it biodegradable. Powered to Start Ending Electronic Waste There's been a dramatic increase in electronics waste and the new biobattery is a start to reduce that.  Also, SUNY Asst. Professor Sean Choi says the battery's power can be

Amazing Discovery - Nature Buries CO2 Underwater

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Underwater Canyon off Irish Coast Pulls CO² from Air Porcupine Bank Canyon  What a discovery!  A research expedition of scientists from University College Cork to a huge underwater canyon off the Irish coast discovered a hidden natural process that pulls greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Mission to Map Underwater Porcupine Canyon They towed a drone out on Porcupine Bank to the Porcupine Bank Canyon, which is a huge, cliff walled underwater trench. It's at the point where Ireland's continental shelf ends.  The scientists are building a detailed map of the canyon's interior and boundaries.  That was the purpose of their just completed journey. Discovery Process Along the way, they spotted a process at the edge of the canyon that pulls CO² from the atmosphere and buries it deep in the sea.  All around the canyon's rim live cold-water coral which thrive on dead plankton.  The plankton build their bodies on carbon from CO² in the air.  When

University of Penn's Mind Stimulator

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Gentle Electric Pulse Boosts Memory University of Pennsylvania Innovation Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that gentle, imperceptible electric impulses passing through the brain improve memory and information retention. 15% Improvement In fact, the electric pulses increase memory and information retention up to 15%.  The electrical stimulation is precisely timed and targeted to the left side of the brain in the left lateral temporal cortex. Real-Time The Penn team developed a system to monitor the brain's activity real-time and trigger stimulation based on the activity.  The electrical pulses are unfelt and at a safe level. Exciting, Personalized Machine Learning Models Twenty five neurosurgical patients being treated for epilepsy participated in the study at clinical sites around the US.  The scientists developed patient-specific, personalized machine learning models. They programmed the stimulator to deliver pulses only when memory was p

Saving the Oceans - Technology Battles Plastic Pollution

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Breakthrough Technologies Making Unrecyclable Packaging Recyclable Saving the Oceans 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year  Yet the 3 biggest global cleanups deal with only 1/2% of that volume.  It's a plastic pollution crisis and there's an urgent need for innovative systemic solutions. World Economic Forum Incubator and Launch Pad The World Economic Forum and several other organizations have awarded $1million to 5 new recyclable and compostable packaging solutions to stop plastic from becoming waste.  It's an incubator program running into 2019, in collaboration with Think Beyond Plastics, to make these innovations marketable at scale. Making Unrecyclable Packaging Recyclable Here are 2 winners in the Unrecyclable to Recyclable packaging category: The University of Pittsburg:   The Pitt team applies nano-engineering to create a recyclable material that can replace very complex, multi-layered packaging that is unrecyclable.  This mirrors the way

Slowing Down Time to Save Lives

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DARPA's Biostasis Program Aims "To Slow Life to Save Life" Source:  DARPA Bistasis Biostatis The program is to buy extra time for soldiers' battlefield injuries as they await medical care.  DARPA, the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency, is working to develop treatments that slow down the body's biochemical reactions, tipping it into a slowed or suspended state until medical help arrives.  For those critically injured, time is a matter of life and death. Biological Suspended State This program is inspired by nature.  Wood frogs and microscopic creatures called "water bears" can survive extreme radiation, dehydration and freezing.  They do so by entering a state called cryptobiosis.  All metabolic processes appear to have stopped but the organism is still alive. Long Term Research This DARPA program is just getting started.  They're beginning at the cell and tissue level.  Then they'll scale up to the whole organism.  I

Calling All Drones - Breakthru German Tech

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Reliably Controlling Drones thru Mobile Network Voice Channels German scientists have developed a new way to control drones.  They're using mobile network voice channels which are virtually everywhere and very reliable.  Current practice is to use cellular data channels, which often fail resulting in loss of contact and control of the drone.  The scientists say connecting to a drone through voice channels on mobile networks is as easy as making a phone call. Expanding Drone Deployments This is a very important and ingenious development by scientists at the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz Institute in Berlin.  Increased use of drones in cities for deliveries, transportation, search and rescue, etc. requires more dependable connections between the unmanned flying vehicles and operators.  Data channels have proven to be unreliable, frequently interrupted and drop out. Great Idea - Infrastructure is Already There What's so great about this innovation is the infrastructure is a

UCLA's Magnetic Painkiller Tech Breakthrough

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Potential Painkiller for Chronic Pain UCLA's Magnetic Pain Relief  Pain Relief by Magnetic Fields It's a breakthrough in "mechanoceuticals" that treat medical conditions by physically forcing cells back into a healthy state.  The UCLA painkiller technique uses magnetic fields to manipulate the microscopic activity of the human body to reduce pain.   This is early stage research but very promising.  It's important because chronic pain has been one of the biggest issues facing medicine for centuries.  Right now, opiates offers the best relief but they are highly addictive.  That's why this UCLA research breakthrough is of importance. No Drugs Just Magnetic Fields to Relieve the Pain No drugs are involved.  UCLA bioengineers are using magnetic fields to control and alleviate pain.  The magnetic painkiller controls proteins that mediate and deliver the pain signals that patients feel. UCLA Team Approach The team led by Prof. Dino DiCarlo has developed

Island Hopping to Avoid Climate Change

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Man-Made Island Idea Goes Back 5,000 Years Dubai Palm Island It's an idea that goes back to Britain 5000 years ago.  There is historic evidence that the inhabitants of the British Isles were building islands back then.  Some experts believe in the 21st century it may be the next grand idea by sea.  Organizations like the BBC are tracking the trend. Floating Cities Artificially built islands in the middle of the ocean are gaining growing interest and investment.  The founder of PayPal is in the process of building a floating city off French Polynesia that is sustainable and eco-friendly.  Other companies, startups, luxury home builders and even universities globally are looking into ocean born solutions to keep humans in habitable spaces going forward as Climate Change intensifies. Relentless Climate Change Impact on Earth, Ocean and Skies From Cape Cod to Wales and Japan, Climate Change is eroding land along coastlines. Sea levels and temperatures are rising, extreme