Researchers at Argonne National Lab have developed a ‘sponge’ that can absorb up to 90 times its weight in oil and can be reused up to 100 times. The researchers hope their tech can be used to clean up oil spills more quickly and cheaply.Oil spills are very tricky to clean up. There are a number of tools that cleanup crews can use to separate oil and water, but all are slow or expensive or both....
Media Platforms Design TeamThree views of an escaping atmosphere, obtained by MAVEN’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph. By observing all of the products of water and carbon dioxide breakdown, MAVEN’s remote sensing team can characterize the processes that drive atmospheric loss on Mars. Click to Enlarge (Photo Credit: University of Colorado/NASA)MAVEN is just beginning its mission to study the Martian atmosphere—and what the heck happened to it. But it’s uncovering fascinating new insights....
Update, April 30, 4:30 PM ET: NASA has confirmed that, as expected, MESSENGER crashed into Mercury at about 8,750 mph at 3:26 PM Eastern Time today. In a news release, it said:“Going out with a bang as it impacts the surface of Mercury, we are celebrating MESSENGER as more than a successful mission,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The MESSENGER mission will continue to provide scientists with a bonanza of new results as we begin the next phase of this mission–analyzing the exciting data already in the archives, and unravelling the mysteries of Mercury....
The New York Times on Saturday reported on a mysterious interaction between the U.S. Navy and what could only be called UFOs. The sighting, which took place in 2004, involved a U.S. Navy Aegis cruiser, seven Hornet and Super Hornet strike fighter jets, and a pair of unknown objects. The sighting, which was rumored but unsubstantiated for a decade remains unexplained to this day.According to the Times, in 2004 two F/A-18F (twin seater) Super Hornets from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz were flying 100 miles off the coast of San Diego when a nearby U....
Taxa Outdoors’ campers and trailers all have a similar look. They’re alien and angular, like a Lego Bionicle action figure. There’s more than a little Chinese-takeout-container influence there, too. And then, on the inside: pure spaceship. That last one makes sense when you consider that the company’s founder and designer, Garrett Finney, used to be the senior architect at the NASA Habitability Design Center. He focused on making astronauts comfortable and productive in the cramped confines of the International Space Station....
Remains from a U.S. Navy destroyer badly damaged by a sea mine was discovered last month by a government-funded scientific team. The USS Abner Read was nearly sunk in action during the Aleutians campaign in World War II, as Allied forces fought to eject Japanese troops occupying the remote islands of Attu and Kiska. The destroyer was ultimately saved and continued to serve in the Pacific for the remainder of the war, but a portion of the ship was lost to the sea in the process....
Using a natural process called radiative sky cooling, scientists were able to build a working model of a generator.Capturing heat rising from the ground and using parts off the shelf, they were able to generate enough electricity for an LED bulb.With better parts, they could already have enough to charge a phone.The temperature of Earth’s surface is generally pretty stable, but it has to let heat off somehow. When heat waves rise off a sidewalk, for example, they dissipate into cooler air....
Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamMORE BREAKING NEWS FROM THE 2008 L.A. AUTO SHOW• 2008 LA AUTO SHOW: All of Our Updates and Analysis in One Place As I walk around the show, I get a little schizophrenic. Just before lunch, I walked from the Kia press conference (where the company unveiled it’s new entry-level Soul) and into the hall where Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Lotus and their ilk were housed....
Media Platforms Design TeamPredictionFrom orbiting satellites to sensors on the ocean floor, the technology of disaster detection is growing vastly more accurate. By issuing warnings hours rather than minutes before a disaster strikes, these systems can save lives.Enhanced GPSGPS alone is a solid early-detection tool; when paired with sensors, its lifesaving potential skyrockets. In July 2013 a team led by Yehuda Bock, a disaster-mitigation specialist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, combined water-vapor sensors with GPS to predict the onset of flash flooding....
At least 60 airlines around the world are racing to check their older engines for signs of metal fatigue over the next two weeks in the wake of last week’s engine blowout on a Southwest Airlines 737, which killed one passenger and injured seven others.To comply with an FAA order rushed out after the Southwest accident, airlines will have to take planes out of service for up to four hours to perform ultrasonic testing....
A new material could provide the sweet spot of strength and flexibility needed for a material to replace plastic. The material is a hybrid, consisting of wood glucose and artificial spider’s silk.Even a dent into plastic’s widespread use could make for noticeable environmental gains.In the world of material engineering, two key concepts are material strength and extensibility. Strength is mostly self-explanatory, but extensibility allows for a material to be extended or stretched....
Two astronomers who examined old data from the Voyager missions believe they have identified two small moons hidden inside Uranus’ rings. The discovery is in a paper due to be published in the Astronomical Journal.Back in 1986, Voyager 2 became the only spacecraft to ever visit the seventh planet from the Sun. The probe spent a whirlwind few days taking measurements of the planet’s weather, rings, moons, and pretty much everything else....
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized on Thursday for the two 737 Max 8 jet crashes that killed 360 people within five months. In a video statement posted to Twitter, Muilenburg said the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the two fatal crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, both of which took place on the manufacturer’s highly popular airliners. “We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 accidents and are relentlessly focused on safety to ensure tragedies like this never happen again,” the tweet read....
As the sea of crossover vehicles becomes ever more crowded, it can be difficult to navigate those waters and figure out which size machine will best fit your needs. So we spend a full day evaluating the cargo and comfort limits of 18 crossovers and SUVs.To test the load carrying ability of each one, we brought along suitcases in every size along with a 50-quart drink cooler, a half-filled duffle bag (to replicate those times when you need to cram in just a little bit more stuff) as well as a Baby Jogger City Mini single stroller and a City Mini GT double stroller....
Media Platforms Design TeamMORE NEWS FROM E3 2008• VIDEO: Rock Band 2 vs. Guitar Hero World Tour & Rock RevolutionLOS ANGELES — The PSP had a great run. At least according to Sony—and its sales numbers. But those numbers couldn’t touch Nintendo’s DS, and the PSP’s critics have consistently skewered its lackluster games, while consumers felt the device was too restricted to shine fully. And despite the recent news that users will be able to download movies from the PlayStation Network and watch them on the PSP, the end might be near for this embattled little handheld....
For the third year in a row, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has decided to keep its Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight. The Doomsday Clock isn’t updated on a set time frame, but rather, as events dictate. You can thank the pandemic, climate change, the rise of misinformation, and the threat of nuclear war for this update.This year marks the 75th anniversary since former Manhattan Project scientists created the Doomsday Clock in 1947....
London mining firm Anglo American, with design assistance from Williams Advanced Engineering, will build the world’s largest hydrogen-powered mining truck.When finished, the truck will weigh over 290 tons. Testing will begin later this year in Johannesburg, South Africa. The world’s biggest electric vehicle—a 45-ton mining dump truck dubbed the eDumper—may have to cede its throne.A hybrid newcomer, powered with both electricity and a reserve of hydrogen fuel, is on par to steal that title as the largest electric mining truck....
Many of the Earth’s most dramatic natural phenomena are hidden from us. For example: according to a new pre-print paper, the largest offshore volcanic event in recorded history happened last November. If you don’t remember, don’t worry. No human on the planet could feel the event, and many seismic machines also missed it.At the time, November 11, 2018, scientists noted that “something big” was happening. The origin point seemed to be located near the African island nation of Madagascar and island of Mayotte, which is controlled by the French government....
It’s easy to take tech for granted. After all, it’s everywhere. But even high-tech everyday products—like wireless earbuds that connect to your phone via a Bluetooth signal to keep your favorite song bumping, or an antiperspirant with a proprietary blend of ingredients that prevents it from staining your favorite white shirt—has a less glamorous, tech-y past. (Ever seen an old-school pedometer?) Below, you’ll find the origin stories of five popular items and how they’ve grown into our go-to products through the years....
Under-sleeping is stupid. Cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity—they say sleep deprivation can lead to all of these things, and if they’re right about even one of them, stay in bed.I think I’m pretty normal, as sleep goes. I never seem to bag eight hours on workdays, and I don’t feel that bad. Give me a hot shower and a hot coffee and I’m good. I’ll catch up on the weekend. That’s why the new technology coming out of the sleep-better industry—which is a $40 billion industry—fills me with fear....
