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Nov 18, 2021

The chase for fusion energy

Posted by in categories: business, economics, nuclear energy, space travel

And just as private space travel is now materializing, many industry observers are forecasting that the same business model will give rise to commercial fusion — desperately needed to decarbonize the energy economy — within a decade. “There’s a very good shot to get there within less than ten years,” says Michl Binderbauer, chief executive of TAE Technologies. In the FIA report, a majority of respondents thought that fusion would power an electrical grid somewhere in the world in the 2030s.


An emerging industry of nuclear-fusion firms promises to have commercial reactors ready in the next decade.

Nov 18, 2021

How technology has inspired neuroscientists to reimagine the brain

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

Telegraphs and computers helped scientists reimagine the mind, writes Matthew Cobb in The Idea of the Brain.

Nov 18, 2021

Intel’s chip recovery plan could restore US manufacturing prowess

Posted by in categories: computing, government

The chipmaker’s come-from-behind strategy is risky and will take years, even with government subsidies.

Nov 18, 2021

Elon Musk said SpaceX will fly its Starship spaceship into orbit for the first time in January, but warned the first attempt might not be a success

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Musk gave a new date for Starship’s first orbital flight. He’d previously predicted it would launch in July, then November.

Nov 18, 2021

Wait what? FDA wants 55 years to process FOIA request over vaccine data

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, government, health

Freedom of Information Act requests are rarely speedy, but when a group of scientists asked the federal government to share the data it relied upon in licensing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the response went beyond typical bureaucratic foot-dragging.

55 years and longer.

That’s how long the Food & Drug Administration in court papers this week proposes it should be given to review and release the trove of vaccine-related documents responsive to the request. If a federal judge in Texas agrees, plaintiffs Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency can expect to see the full record in 2076.

Nov 18, 2021

Rolls-Royce gets funding to develop mini nuclear reactors

Posted by in categories: business, employment, government, nuclear energy

The creation of the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) business was announced following a £195m cash injection from private firms and a £210m grant from the government.

It is hoped the new company could create up to 40,000 jobs by 2050.

However, critics say the focus should be on renewable power, not new nuclear.

Continue reading “Rolls-Royce gets funding to develop mini nuclear reactors” »

Nov 18, 2021

What Do Neurons and Snowflakes Have to Teach Us About AI?

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The fact that no two are alike could be the key to designing AIs that can adapt to change.

Nov 18, 2021

SpaceX Starship 2022: How next year will pave way for Mars City and Artemis

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, physics, space travel

On Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk outlined how the company’s under-development rocket will deliver a “high fly rate” of a dozen launches in 2022. This will enable the ship to deliver actual payloads in 2023 before moving on to more ambitious goals like sending humans to the Moon and Mars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLydXZOo4eA

The comments, made at the joint meeting of the Space Studies Board and the Board on Physics and Astronomy, outline how the stainless steel rocket taking shape in Texas will move from prototype curiosity to working ship.

Continue reading “SpaceX Starship 2022: How next year will pave way for Mars City and Artemis” »

Nov 18, 2021

Fountain’s $15m to “restore youthful resilience to cells”

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

“Fountain is an example of a biotech company emerging as a direct result of basic research, in this case the biology of aging,” said Dr Rando, founder and chairman of Fountain. “The company’s screening and discovery platform is built upon foundational research showing that the age of a cell can be modulated by factors in the cell’s environment. By identifying compounds that work through these pathways, we seek to restore youthful resilience to cells and tissues, leading to therapies that treat or even prevent chronic diseases of aging.”


Longevity funding: Eli Lilly and R42 Group join the party as Khosla-backed biopharma brings total Series A to $26 million.

Nov 18, 2021

The 100-year-old decision that contributed to Abbotsford, B.C., flooding

Posted by in category: futurism

More than 100 years ago, a lake outside what is now the Abbotsford, B.C., area was drained to create lucrative farmland. Many say that decision is a big contributor to the devastating flooding.

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Continue reading “The 100-year-old decision that contributed to Abbotsford, B.C., flooding” »