"World's first working thermal battery" promises cheap, eco-friendly, grid-scalable energy storage

South Australia has recently put the world's biggest lithium battery into operation – but perhaps it should've waited. A local startup says it's built the world's first working thermal battery, a device with a lifetime of at least 20 years that can store six times more energy than lithium-ion batteries per volume, for 60-80 percent of the price.

.. Continue Reading "World's first working thermal battery" promises cheap, eco-friendly, grid-scalable energy storage

Category: Energy

Tags:

• Battery
• Grid-Level Energy Storage
• Renewable Energy
• Silicon

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Sega jumps into the retro console game with the Genesis Mini

Sega has unveiled its first games console in almost 20 years. The Sega Genesis Mini (or Sega Mega Drive Mini, depending on which country you hail from) is the latest in the classic retro console craze, and will come complete with 40 pre-installed games alongside some modern touch-ups.

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Category: Games

Tags:

• Console
• Games
• Gaming
• Retro
• Sega

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NASA's challenge to create 3D-printed space habitats nears completion

NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is edging towards its conclusion, which means another phase of the four-year competition has drawn to a close. This latest round tasked teams with creating detailed virtual models of shelters designed specifically for life on Mars, with the winners each claiming a share of US$100,000 ahead of the grand finale next month.

.. Continue Reading NASA's challenge to create 3D-printed space habitats nears completion

Category: Space

Tags:

• 3D Printing
• Mars
• NASA

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AI slashes time needed to accurately predict cycle life of batteries

Over the past few decades, batteries have become much more efficient, but gauging their service life is still extremely difficult and time-consuming. To better predict how long batteries will last and target them for the appropriate devices, MIT and the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) have teamed up to employ artificial intelligence to accurately determine battery life without requiring years of testing.

.. Continue Reading AI slashes time needed to accurately predict cycle life of batteries

Category: Energy

Tags:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Lithium-ion
• MIT
• Toyota

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Missing in axion: Dark matter experiment rules out more candidate particles

Roughly 85 percent of the mass in the universe is missing. Known as dark matter, this stuff is invisible but makes itself known through very weak interactions with regular matter, and physicists have been hunting for it for decades. Hypothetical particles called axions are a long-standing candidate, but a new experiment has now found that they don't exist – at least within a certain mass range.

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Category: Physics

Tags:

• Dark Matter
• Magnetic field
• Magnetism
• MIT
• Particle physics
• Physics

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CHEOPS exoplanet observatory cleared for flight

ESA's CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) has been declared flight ready and is being stored at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Madrid before being shipped to Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be installed atop a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. The unmanned probe, which is tasked with studying planets outside the solar system, is scheduled to launch between October 15 and November 14, 2019.

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Category: Space

Tags:

• ESA
• Exoplanet
• Spacecraft

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The Sun's magnetic field might be ten times stronger than we thought

A new study by Queen's University Belfast and Aberystwyth University indicates that the Sun's magnetic field is ten times more powerful than previously thought. By analyzing a solar flare on September 10, 2017 using the Swedish one-meter Solar Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma in the Canary Islands, Dr David Kuridze, Research Fellow at Aberystwyth University, was able to determine that the magnetic field is an order of magnitude greater than earlier measurements have suggested.

.. Continue Reading The Sun's magnetic field might be ten times stronger than we thought

Category: Space

Tags:

• Aberystwyth University
• Magnetic field
• Queens University Belfast
• Sun

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EU pursuing a "rocket catcher" to chase down boosters in mid-flight

Historically, space launches are anything but cheap, but reusable rocket programs like those from SpaceX and Blue Origin promise to bring down the outlay in a big way (if they're not already). The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has kicked off a new three-year research project in a similar vein, with preparations underway to develop a "rocket catcher" that snaffles boosters in mid-air for reuse.

.. Continue Reading EU pursuing a "rocket catcher" to chase down boosters in mid-flight

Category: Space

Tags:

• DLR
• Launch Vehicles
• Recycled rockets
• Recycling
• Rocket

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Fossil site is first ever to show deaths from mass extinction asteroid impact

A dramatic find in North Dakota has uncovered the first known victims of the asteroid impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. An international team of paleontologists and geologists has found a massive collection of fossils of fish and other animal that were killed by a seismic sea wave and a shower of burning glass beads less than an hour after the asteroid strike off the shore of what is now Yucatan.

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Category: Biology

Tags:

• Geology
• Meteor
• Paleontology

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Ultimate tailgater RV turns parking lot into party with sports bars, patios and hot tub

Thor Industries used the inaugural RVX show to get serious about production and potential production RVs like the Sequence camper van and Tuscany Lithium concept motorhome. But it also kicked back and had some fun ... a lot of fun. Its custom-designed Heartland Cyclone Ultimate Tailgate trailer pulls up stadium-side, screens all the biggest games of the day on more than half a dozen TVs, keeps the beer flowing with a built-in keg fridge, and provides plenty of space to relax with dual decks, an indoor/outdoor hot tub and a garage bar. Forget going into the stadium; the real entertainment is hitched to the truck.

.. Continue Reading Ultimate tailgater RV turns parking lot into party with sports bars, patios and hot tub

Category: Sports

Tags:

• Camping
• Caravan
• Concept Vehicle
• Outdoor
• RV
• RVX 2019
• tailgating
• Thor Industries
• Trailer
• trailers
• Travel

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Self-destructing asteroid is spinning itself to death

NASA has released images from the Hubble Space Telescope showing an asteroid that is tearing itself apart. Located 214 million mi (344 million km) from the Sun, the 2.5-mi (four-km) wide asteroid (6478) Gault is spinning so fast that it is self-destructing and throwing off debris tails half a million mi (800,000 km) long.

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Category: Space

Tags:

• Asteroid
• Hubble
• NASA

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Bloomengine automates the growing of delicate plants

It can be challenging, growing delicate plants from seeds. A group of Korean entrepreneurs is out to make the process easier – and techier – with the Wi-Fi-connected, water-pump-equipped and smartphone-controlled Bloomengine.

.. Continue Reading Bloomengine automates the growing of delicate plants

Category: Around The Home

Tags:

• Horticulture
• Indiegogo
• Plants

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3D-printed material is designed to treat difficult bone injuries

For some time now, we've been hearing about implantable scaffolding-like material that helps heal injuries to bones. Scientists have now developed a new type of that material, aimed specifically at difficult-to-treat osteochondral injuries.

.. Continue Reading 3D-printed material is designed to treat difficult bone injuries

Category: Medical

Tags:

• 3D Printing
• Bones
• Cartilage
• Implant
• Injuries
• Rice University
• University of Maryland

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Canon courts snap it and stick it photographers with Ivy Cliq instant cameras

Though many of us will be satisfied with the immediate image gratification offered by our smartphone cameras, we can't easily print out snaps and stick them to a fridge door. That's where Fujifilm's Instax cameras come in, which feature a built-in mini photo printer. Canon has now nudged its way into the instant party with the Ivy Cliq+ Instant and Ivy Cliq Instant cameras.

.. Continue Reading Canon courts snap it and stick it photographers with Ivy Cliq instant cameras

Category: Digital Cameras

Tags:

• Canon
• Instant Photography
• Zink

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Vacation home is raised on stilts and squeezed between trees

Treehouse, by Atelier Victoria Migliore, is a vacation home that looks a bit more comfortable than your average backyard treehouse. It was raised on stilts and squeezed into a forest plot in France without causing the existing trees any damage.

.. Continue Reading Vacation home is raised on stilts and squeezed between trees

Category: Architecture

Tags:

• Building and Construction
• Home
• House
• Treehouse

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Saturn's strange moons are scooping up material from the rings and growing

Two years ago as the Cassini probe made its daring final plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn, it flew past for a closer look at a few of the gas giant's inner moons. Now a NASA team has analyzed the data and uncovered some intriguing new details about these tiny worlds, including how they're busily scooping up material from Saturn's rings and growing into weird shapes.

.. Continue Reading Saturn's strange moons are scooping up material from the rings and growing

Category: Space

Tags:

• Astronomy
• Cassini
• Moon
• NASA
• Saturn

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From luxury travel to modular adventure: The best American camper vans of RVX 2019

Big RVs still rule the American market, but there's been some measurable movement toward smaller camping and travel, with some innovative camper vans launching in hopes of keeping that movement rolling. Camper van offerings from major brands still aren't anywhere near as diverse as those in Europe, but the recent RVX trade show demonstrated that the van market is alive and well, churning with new and exciting products for world travelers, thrill seekers, family road trippers and others.

.. Continue Reading From luxury travel to modular adventure: The best American camper vans of RVX 2019

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Campervan
• Camping
• Off-grid
• Off-road
• Outdoor
• RVX 2019
• Travel
• Van

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Space-saving home in Portugal uses timber walls to hide features and functions

Portuguese architectural studios Andreia Garcia Architectural Affairs and Diogo Aguiar Studio have recently joined forces to create a clever space-saving guest house. Dubbed Pavilion House, the timber-clad home is built above a pre-existing wine cellar, located amid a stunning vineyard in Guimarães, Portugal.

.. Continue Reading Space-saving home in Portugal uses timber walls to hide features and functions

Category: Architecture

Tags:

• House
• Tiny
• Vineyard

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Nissan packs its ProPilot tech into the Dayz kei car for smart highway driving

Nissan's ProPilot technology has found a new home, and a rather compact one at that, in the company's all-new Dayz. The diminutive kei car is billed as the first mini-vehicle to offer the suite of driver-assist technologies, promising a safer and less stressful ride for those behind the wheel.

.. Continue Reading Nissan packs its ProPilot tech into the Dayz kei car for smart highway driving

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Autonomous Vehicles
• Nissan

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Rocket Lab delivers experimental satellite to orbit for DARPA

In another feather in the cap for the New Zealand-based startup, Rocket Lab has successfully pulled off its first launch for DARPA, delivering an experimental satellite into orbit that the agency hopes will open up new possibilities around radio communication.

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Category: Space

Tags:

• DARPA
• Rocket Lab
• Satellite

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Video: Boston Dynamics' dino-like Handle robot prepares to get a real job

It's always stunning to see the latest videos out of Boston Dynamics, where robotics seems 10 years ahead of anywhere else. And this time, you won't be having nightmares about Handle coming for you – you'll be thinking about exactly which warehouse jobs it's coming for first.

.. Continue Reading Video: Boston Dynamics' dino-like Handle robot prepares to get a real job

Category: Robotics

Tags:

• Boston Dynamics
• Robots

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Otherworldly winners of the Life in Another Light infrared photography competition

Life in Another Light is a photo competition that focuses solely on the spectacular art of infrared photography. The gorgeous spread of winning images recently announced in this inaugural competition highlights the astonishing beauty of photography that experiments with wavelengths of light our eyes cannot see.

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Category: Digital Cameras

Tags:

• Awards
• Competition
• Infrared
• Photography

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Genetic mutation allows Scottish woman to resist pain and heal faster

A woman in Scotland has been found to have a previously-unknown genetic mutation that makes her almost completely immune to pain, and on top of that her wounds heal faster and she seems to have generally reduced levels of anxiety and fear. Geneticists are now studying the genes responsible to see if they could lead to new potential treatments for pain relief.

.. Continue Reading Genetic mutation allows Scottish woman to resist pain and heal faster

Category: Biology

Tags:

• Genetics
• Healing
• Oxford University
• Pain
• Pain Relief
• University College London

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Van Allen Probes prepare for 15-year plunge into the Earth's atmosphere

In a remarkable display of forethought, the Van Allen Probes have been set on a trajectory that will plunge the two radiation belt satellites into the Earth's atmosphere in about 15 years. In order to keep the pair of spacecraft from becoming a hazard to navigation, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), which designed and built the pair, put them through a series of thruster maneuvers in February that will place them in ever-tightening orbits ending around 2034.

.. Continue Reading Van Allen Probes prepare for 15-year plunge into the Earth's atmosphere

Category: Space

Tags:

• John Hopkins University
• NASA
• Spacecraft
• Van Allen Belts

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Stanford's latest autonomous driving tech takes tricky corners like a race car driver

The amount of miles logged by driverless cars are well into the millions, but these closely watched research projects largely ply their trade on sound roads under regular driving conditions. So what happens when things get extreme? Scientists at Stanford University are developing new control software so these vehicles can better handle the unexpected, relying on prior driving experience to remain in control.

.. Continue Reading Stanford's latest autonomous driving tech takes tricky corners like a race car driver

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Autonomous Vehicles
• Stanford University

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