Lifeboat Foundation

A powerful geomagnetic storm caused a spectacular display of light that was visible unusually far from Earth’s poles.

As solar cycle 25 reaches its peak, solar activity has increased significantly. This surge in activity was evident in October 2024 when a remarkable display of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, extended to observers on the ground beyond the Arctic Circle to midlatitude regions.

Capturing the aurora from space and ground.

In the future, there could be a spacecraft capable of maneuvering with unprecedented speed and agility, without the constraints of limited fuel.

The U.S. Space Force has provided funding of $35 million to create a new spacecraft that can “maneuver without regret.”

Continue reading “US Space Force backs nuclear microreactor-powered rocket breakthrough” »

A team from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania introduced a novel wet chemical etching process that modifies the surface of conventional metal powders used in 3D printing.

In a significant advancement for metal additive manufacturing, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their academic partners have developed a groundbreaking technique that enhances the optical absorptivity of metal powders used in 3D printing.

The innovative approach, which involves creating nanoscale surface features on metal powders, promises to improve the efficiency and quality of printed metal parts, particularly for challenging materials like copper and tungsten, according to researchers.

Continue reading “New technique enhances absorptivity of powders for metal 3D printing” »

“All right, so today we are going to dive deep into some cutting-edge tech,” a chatty American male voice says.

NotebookLM, which was originally marketed as a study tool, has taken a life of its own among users. The company is now working on adding more customization options, such as changing the length, format, voices, and languages, Martin said. Currently it’s supposed to generate podcasts only in English, but some users on Reddit managed to get the tool to create audio in French and Hungarian.

Yes, it’s cool—bordering on delightful, even—but it is also not immune from the problems that plague generative AI, such as hallucinations and bias.

Continue reading “People are using Google study software to make AI podcasts—and they’re weird and amazing” »

A research team led by National Tsing Hua University Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Science and Technology professor Chuu Chih-sung (褚志崧) has developed Taiwan’s first and the world’s smallest quantum computer, using a single photon, the university said yesterday.

Chuu said in the…

Bringing taiwan to the world and the world to taiwan.

This non-toxic piezoelectric material generates electricity from movement or vibration.

This lead-free polymer film can eliminate the need of batteries in many smart devices and turn roads into charging stations.

Continue reading “This magical film can produce electricity from anything that moves” »

This study presents the development and characterization of a novel nanocomposite wound dressing material based on polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers incorporating chitosan nanocapsules loaded with chamomile extract and cellulose nanoparticles.

Asadzadeh, F., Ghorbanzadeh, S., Poursattar Marjani, A. et al. Sci Rep 14, 22,336 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72398-9

Download citation.

Continue reading “Assessing polylactic acid nanofibers with cellulose and chitosan nanocapsules loaded with chamomile extract for treating gram-negative infections” »

Opinion: A geopolitical battle is raging over the future of AI. The key to winning it is a clean-energy revolution.

Jetson Founder Tomasz Patan is clearly getting very comfortable with the Jetson One eVTOL’s flight control system … Watch him wrench the controls around to show off how sharply – and safely – this thing can handle tight turns in flight.

Multicopter drones were revolutionary little gadgets when they started to appear on the scene for a number of reasons, but one was their highly automated fly-by-wire control systems. No human could manually control motor speeds on upwards of four rotors simultaneously, but a sensor-equipped flight control system certainly could – hence, drones like the DJI Phantom were able to automatically lift off and land, maintain altitude if required, and self-balance against wind gusts to hover in place, while also responding quickly to a pilot’s commands.

Continue reading “Watch: Jetson founder pushes the limits of ‘Freestyle’ eVTOL agility” »