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Science/Technology News Breakthroughs
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Japanese Maglev Train goes 375 mph
![_69545296_69545295.jpg]( "_69545296_69545295.jpg")
Fly on a jet at 500mph or a 375 mph train?
I assume they have many safety devices on them to prevent this, but a train derailing at 375 would certainly be fatal.
Fly on a jet at 500mph or a 375 mph train?
I assume they have many safety devices on them to prevent this, but a train derailing at 375 would certainly be fatal.
This is pretty cool and much more efficient than The Salmon Truck.
The Salmon Cannon!
YouTube: video
I will have to check to see if Oregon is contemplating this method.
With the water problems in the American West there is talk of moisture evaporators ala Star Wars. Heard a report on PBS yesterday.
http://geekgirlcon.com/science-of-tatooine-water/- this link does not load properly on my iPad...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/alte...-farming-tech-wont-save-california-150416.htm
![prequel14.jpg]( "prequel14.jpg")
http://geekgirlcon.com/science-of-tatooine-water/- this link does not load properly on my iPad...
http://news.discovery.com/tech/alte...-farming-tech-wont-save-california-150416.htm
This does not qualify as a tech breakthrough, but I see it on the horizon, the discussion of AI and the eventuality of androids. Do you think it's inevitable?
Pulled from the movie thread:
The human relationship to AI in science fiction has always been intriquing going back to I Robot, the book (1950) where the spectrum goes from Flesh Fairs where robots are hated and destroyed gruesomely to Star Trek where an android is recognized as a life form. We'll have to see what happens if and when they come up with an actual android that can pass for human.
I was never a fan of Blade Runner because it is so dark, however it's the kind of movie I appreciate because of its replicants, "bioengineered" androids with self awareness, complex ideas and emotions. I'm wonder that when faced with this, how long will it be before humans start falling in love with them and fighting for their rights. It seems inevitable and a good launch point to discuss what constitutes a life form? Is a requirement to be biologically based?
Pulled from the movie thread:
The human relationship to AI in science fiction has always been intriquing going back to I Robot, the book (1950) where the spectrum goes from Flesh Fairs where robots are hated and destroyed gruesomely to Star Trek where an android is recognized as a life form. We'll have to see what happens if and when they come up with an actual android that can pass for human.
I was never a fan of Blade Runner because it is so dark, however it's the kind of movie I appreciate because of its replicants, "bioengineered" androids with self awareness, complex ideas and emotions. I'm wonder that when faced with this, how long will it be before humans start falling in love with them and fighting for their rights. It seems inevitable and a good launch point to discuss what constitutes a life form? Is a requirement to be biologically based?
Change of pace, quiz. Thank you PBS!
How were the Bends (Decompression Sickness) discovered?
1. Mountain climbing.
2. Bridge building.
3. Diving.
How were the Bends (Decompression Sickness) discovered?
1. Mountain climbing.
2. Bridge building.
3. Diving.
Bridge building, specifically those workers building caissons at the bottom of the rive that support towers for a suspension bridge. Decompression sickness Link. Building the Brooklyn Bridge 1871.
I actually backed this and man is it fun to play with!!!!!!
I did the $40.00 one which came with everything and then some..........
Found an interesting quick brief on Dark Matter in Popular Science from last fall,
5 Things To Know About The Search For Dark Matter
Most possibly shocking is that the periodic table only makes up 5% of the Universe. The rest is Dark (elusive) Matter that we have calculated is out there, but don't know what it is, although we are getting a handle on where it is by measuring how light is effected by gravity. A dark matter map may be completed as early as 2019.
Quote from Dark Matter link:
Dark matter is a hypothetical kind of matter that cannot be seen with telescopes, but accounts for most of the universe's mass. The existence and properties of dark matter are inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, on radiation, and on the universe's large-scale structure. Dark matter has not been directly detected, leaving it an astrophysical mystery.
5 Things To Know About The Search For Dark Matter
Most possibly shocking is that the periodic table only makes up 5% of the Universe. The rest is Dark (elusive) Matter that we have calculated is out there, but don't know what it is, although we are getting a handle on where it is by measuring how light is effected by gravity. A dark matter map may be completed as early as 2019.
Quote from Dark Matter link:
Dark matter is a hypothetical kind of matter that cannot be seen with telescopes, but accounts for most of the universe's mass. The existence and properties of dark matter are inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, on radiation, and on the universe's large-scale structure. Dark matter has not been directly detected, leaving it an astrophysical mystery.
I remember reading about the vertical farming of the future back in the 20th Century. Looks like it's here. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense, a controlled environment, optimized growing conditions, small footprint, all nutrition make it to the plant, no fertilizer washing into the river resulting in algae blooms, reduced carbon footprint, less spoilage. But, I suspect this article will give farmers nightmares...
Traditional agriculture has bought the farm (Popular Science Oct 2015)
![psc1015_ff_099.jpg]()
“We’re not subject to rain or drought. We control the environment. So the weather is perfect every single day.”
This past winter, as near-record snows piled up outside his 30,000-square-foot warehouse off Lake Michigan, Robert Colangelo stood inside, bathed in blue and red LEDs, and surrounded by crops of butter lettuce and herbs.
Indoor vertical farming has become a major player in the niche market of locally grown, high margin, perishable greens—such as kale, watercress, and lettuces. It eliminates the need for pesticides. It reduces the spoilage that occurs from trucking perishable produce 3,000 miles across the continent. It significantly cuts the carbon footprint of farm tractors and refrigerated trucks. And it meets the growing demand for fresh produce among middle-class urban dwellers.
In eastern Japan, in a former Sony semiconductor factory, one plant scientist harvests 10,000 heads of lettuce a day. In New Jersey, a former Cornell University agriculture professor, with backing from Goldman Sachs and others, is helping to turn a run-down steel factory into a 69,000-square-foot farm. It will be capable of turning out 2 million pounds of produce annually, eclipsing Colangelo’s farm when it opens this winter.The new farm will use 95 percent less water than a field farm, and like others offer more productivity per square acre, and save energy costs such as tractor fuel.
Traditional agriculture has bought the farm (Popular Science Oct 2015)
“We’re not subject to rain or drought. We control the environment. So the weather is perfect every single day.”
This past winter, as near-record snows piled up outside his 30,000-square-foot warehouse off Lake Michigan, Robert Colangelo stood inside, bathed in blue and red LEDs, and surrounded by crops of butter lettuce and herbs.
Indoor vertical farming has become a major player in the niche market of locally grown, high margin, perishable greens—such as kale, watercress, and lettuces. It eliminates the need for pesticides. It reduces the spoilage that occurs from trucking perishable produce 3,000 miles across the continent. It significantly cuts the carbon footprint of farm tractors and refrigerated trucks. And it meets the growing demand for fresh produce among middle-class urban dwellers.
In eastern Japan, in a former Sony semiconductor factory, one plant scientist harvests 10,000 heads of lettuce a day. In New Jersey, a former Cornell University agriculture professor, with backing from Goldman Sachs and others, is helping to turn a run-down steel factory into a 69,000-square-foot farm. It will be capable of turning out 2 million pounds of produce annually, eclipsing Colangelo’s farm when it opens this winter.The new farm will use 95 percent less water than a field farm, and like others offer more productivity per square acre, and save energy costs such as tractor fuel.
Change of pace, quiz. Thank you PBS!
How were the Bends (Decompression Sickness) discovered?
1. Mountain climbing.
2. Bridge building.
3. Diving.
Bridge building, specifically those workers building caissons at the bottom of the rive that support towers for a suspension bridge. Decompression sickness Link. Building the Brooklyn Bridge 1871.
Well, I remembered reading an article when I was a kid on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge….so, yes, I knew that one.
What do you think about vertical indoor farming? I've been reading.
Maybe I've been in the dark, but this appears to be a revolution in the making. It could be serious pain for farmers and large farming corporations, but I'm thinking about the mention of freeing millions of acres to plant trees to absorb carbons.The next question, would Governments try to stop it to shield current farming methods? In the U.S. farmers have been corporate welfare recipients for a long time. If it's truly exponentially more efficient, they won't be able to stop it.
Farming In The Sky (Popular Science 2008)
Quote:
The choice is clear—rethink how we grow food, or starve. Environmental scientist Dickson Despommier of Columbia University and other scientists propose a radical solution: Transplant farms into city skyscrapers. These towers would use soil-free hydroponic farming to slash demand for energy (they'll be powered by a process that converts sewage into electricity) while producing more food. Farming skyward would also free up farmland for trees, which would help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even better, vertical farms would grow food near where it would be eaten, thus cutting not only the cost but the emissions of transportation. If you include emissions from the oil burned to cultivate and ship crops and livestock in addition to, yes, methane from farm-animal flatulence, agriculture churns out nearly 14 percent of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions.
Country, the City Version: Farms in the Sky Gain New Interest
(NYTimes 2008)
The Rise of Urban Farming (Smithsonian 2010)
Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming? (NPR 2013)
Vertical farming: The next big thing for food—and tech (CNBC 2015)
Quote:
"We're growing in 16 days what otherwise takes 30 days in a field—using 95 percent less water, about 50 percent less fertilizers, zero pesticides, herbicides, fungicides," says one CEO.
10 Innovative Urban Farms from Throughout the World
(EasyGrow- UK Based Hydroponic Supplier 2014)
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The examples you're posting are pretty limited. One article you quoted before says it this way:What do you think about vertical indoor farming? I've been reading.
The next question, would Governments try to stop it to shield current farming methods? In the U.S. farmers have been corporate welfare recipients for a long time. If it's truly exponentially more efficient, they won't be able to stop it.
...
... niche market of locally grown, high margin, perishable greens ...
Niche market.
Locally grown.
Perishable.
Greens.
I don't see anything about cereal grains, tree fruits, nuts, or root vegetables. Soybeans are also absent.
One article also notes that hydroponically grown produce can't be labeled "organic", even though it costs about the same. From a pricing standpoint, that means it has to be competitive with conventionally grown produce.
I'm not saying that vertical farming is irrelevant, just that even when it works, it seems to affect a fairly small slice of the overall agricultural product landscape.
At this point, I'd call it more a bunch of well-funded experiments. They might pay off or they might not, with an unknown time horizon and success rate. It seems at least as risky as funding random tech startups.
I'm not disagreeing with you but looking at it as a trend, savings in water, pesticides, gasoline, growing faster and more consistently than field grown crops, minimal transportation costs and spoilage, The numbers sound compelling, but I agree that grains, just because of the footprint could be challenging. But I could also imagine gene splicing to create Fruit vines, no need for trees.
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I'm not disagreeing with you but looking at is as a trend, savings in water, pesisides, gasoline, growing faster and more consistently than field grown crops, minimal transportation costs an spoilage, The numbers sound compelling, but I agree that grains, just because of the footprint could be challenging. But I could also imagine gene splicing to create Fruit vines, no need for trees.
Well, I would argue that the planet needs trees, even if agriculture doesn't.
And some manner of population control - on the part of humans - (in defiance of the traditional teachings of a surprising number of world religions, because it suggests empowering and educating women) would probably aid the health of the planet, enormously, too.
What, you mean that the biosphere is intimately and inextricably interconnected? God forbid! Humans are very fond of touting what they've learned to do, while willfully ignoring all that they don't understand.
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
--John Muir
I only meant that they could figure a way to grow fruits in a green house for human consumption, possibly no need for the fruit trees planted in a green house for that purpose, which does not sound all that practical. We definitely need all those other trees and fruit trees too out in the world.
Agree on population control. We don't want to act like bacteria.
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Scientists Have Confirmed The Existence of Gravitational Waves as predicted by Einstein in 1916. My understanding it's not something that is noticible but requires sophisticated equipment to detect. What they offer is info about the universe.
![r1jpuibgmqiqqdncxwgp.jpg]()
Jumping back a topic, the hydroponics thing is something I have been studying and thinking about since the 90's. I've built my own systems. I've done plant nutrition studies using aeroponics. Heck, I've even worked at one of the most famous hydroponics facilities in the world - The Land at Epcot in Florida. (Hint: that greenhouse doesn't come anywhere near to supplying enough produce for even one restaurant at Epcot like Disney likes to claim.)
Here's my take on hydroponics - It is very expensive. It is very prone to disaster (disease, mechanical failure, electrical outage, human error, etc.). Yes, you can grow a lot of produce, but lighting, heating, pumps, and water filtration take more electricity and resources (increased carbon footprint). Eliminating pesticides? Ha! Reduce, maybe, but take it from me, the bugs will find a way!
All in all, it's a nice idea. It might be profitable for high dollar, high demand crops. Can it replace traditional agriculture? Not even close. We've come a long way, but there are some inherent road blocks in economics, physics, and plant physiology that keep us from "feeding the world" using things like vertical farming.
When it comes to intensive agriculture, the book you need to start with is "The Alchemy of Air" by Thomas Hagar. That will completely change the way you think about nitrogen fertilizer (and WWII). Next, you might want to check out Dr. Bruce Bugbee's discussion of vertical growing. This is one of guys NASA tapped to figure out how to grow food in space.
Here's my take on hydroponics - It is very expensive. It is very prone to disaster (disease, mechanical failure, electrical outage, human error, etc.). Yes, you can grow a lot of produce, but lighting, heating, pumps, and water filtration take more electricity and resources (increased carbon footprint). Eliminating pesticides? Ha! Reduce, maybe, but take it from me, the bugs will find a way!
All in all, it's a nice idea. It might be profitable for high dollar, high demand crops. Can it replace traditional agriculture? Not even close. We've come a long way, but there are some inherent road blocks in economics, physics, and plant physiology that keep us from "feeding the world" using things like vertical farming.
When it comes to intensive agriculture, the book you need to start with is "The Alchemy of Air" by Thomas Hagar. That will completely change the way you think about nitrogen fertilizer (and WWII). Next, you might want to check out Dr. Bruce Bugbee's discussion of vertical growing. This is one of guys NASA tapped to figure out how to grow food in space.
How far are we from creating Spider-Man? Heard on NPR.
Genetically Engineered Silk Worms with Spider DNA Spin Super Strong Silk
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/n...rms-with-spider-genes-spin-super-strong-silk/
![F33DAD67-8E7F-4133-8187-66D3E25633F7.jpeg]( "F33DAD67-8E7F-4133-8187-66D3E25633F7.jpeg")
Spider silk is a remarkable material, wonderfully adapted for trapping, crushing, climbing and more. It is extraordinarily strong and tough, while still being elastic enough to stretch several times its original length. Indeed, the toughest biological material ever found is the record-breaking silk of the Darwin’s bark spider. It’s 10 times tougher than Kevlar, and the basis of webs that can span rivers.
Heard on NPR.Genetically Engineered Silk Worms with Spider DNA Spin Super Strong Silk
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/n...rms-with-spider-genes-spin-super-strong-silk/
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