Archive for the ‘habitats’ category: Page 2
Aug 28, 2024
Tiny new lasers fill a long-standing gap in the rainbow of visible-light colors, opening new applications
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in category: habitats
It’s not easy making green. For years, scientists have fabricated small, high-quality lasers that generate red and blue light. However, the method they typically employ—injecting electric current into semiconductors—hasn’t worked as well in building tiny lasers that emit light at yellow and green wavelengths.
Aug 27, 2024
SpaceX Starship Flotillas Could Outrace NASA To Create Moon Base Alpha
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: habitats, space travel
SpaceX, with its rapidly expanding squadron of Starship rockets and super-capsules, looks poised to dominate the creation of humanity’s first base camp on the Moon.
As it ramps up producing Starship upper stages that can double as Moon-orbiting space stations or as spectacular lunar resorts, SpaceX is positioned to speed past NASA’s plans for Spartan astronaut habitats on the orb’s South Pole.
Continue reading “SpaceX Starship Flotillas Could Outrace NASA To Create Moon Base Alpha” »
Aug 26, 2024
Infinite Range Solar EV? This YouTuber Built One, With An Asterisk
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: habitats, sustainability
Can we build solar-powered EVs that don’t need to be recharged? Technically yes. But this home-built project shows why it’s impractical for the real world.
Aug 13, 2024
Transforming Construction with Nanotechnology
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: chemistry, climatology, habitats, nanotechnology, sustainability
Nanomaterials, with their distinctive physical and chemical properties, hold significant promise for revolutionizing the housing construction industry. By enabling the development of stronger, more durable, efficient, and sustainable structures, nanotechnology offers solutions to challenges such as climate change and global urbanization.
The use of nanomaterials in construction began in the mid-1980s with the advent of carbon-based structures. Since then, their application has become more widespread, driving innovations in the sector. Today, advances in nanotechnology are leading to the creation of increasingly sophisticated, selective, and efficient nanomaterials, broadening the scope of construction capabilities.
This study explored the application of various nanomaterials—titanium dioxide, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanosilica, nanocellulose, nanoalumina, and nanoclay—in residential construction. These materials were chosen for their potential to enhance the structural integrity, thermal performance, and overall functionality of building materials used in housing.
Aug 12, 2024
Origami-inspired ‘transformer’ robots could help build habitats in space (photo)
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: habitats, robotics/AI, space
Aug 11, 2024
New Earthship helps foster more sustainable way of life
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: habitats, sustainability
More than 100 sustainable homes, also known as “living vessels,” are built into the earth in Taos, New Mexico, and are not connected to any water or electricity.
Aug 10, 2024
Are Humans the First Civilization? The Silurian Hypothesis
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in categories: food, habitats
Hey, I have a nice story for you. During my childhood, I used to live in Italy. We would eat pasta every day and life was simple. I loved my house, but one d…
Aug 2, 2024
NASA says it is “evaluating all options” for the safe return of Starliner crew
Posted by Eric Klien in categories: habitats, space travel
It looks like Elon is about to rescue two people Boeing left stranded in outer space. Crew Dragon’s capacity will likely be increased from 4 to 6 people as the solution to this problem.
SpaceX is actively working on a plan to fly Starliner’s crew home.
Jul 28, 2024
This Desert Moss has the Potential to Grow on Mars
Posted by Natalie Chan in categories: habitats, space, sustainability
The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising candidate for Mars colonization thanks to its extreme ability to tolerate harsh conditions lethal to most life forms. The moss is well known for its ability to tolerate drought conditions, but researchers report June 30 in the journal The Innovation that it can also survive freezing temperatures as low as −196°C, high levels of gamma radiation, and simulated Martian conditions involving these three stressors combined. In all cases, prior dehydration seemed to help the plants cope.
“Our study shows that the environmental resilience of S. caninervis is superior to that of some of highly stress-tolerant microorganisms and tardigrades,” write the researchers, who include ecologists Daoyuan Zhang and Yuanming Zhang and botanist Tingyun Kuang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “S. caninervis is a promising candidate pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments, laying the foundation for building biologically sustainable human habitats beyond Earth.”
A small number of previous studies have tested the ability of microorganisms, algae, lichens, and plant spores to withstand the extreme environments of outer space or Mars, but this is the first study to test whole plants.