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Dec 20, 2019

New form of uranium found that could affect nuclear waste disposal plans

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

Research shows underground storage can create new compound of element which could affect groundwater.

Dec 20, 2019

Israeli migraine-busting device saluted as 2020 ‘game changer’

Posted by in category: futurism

Netanya-based startup Theranica chosen in category of ‘electro-charged therapeutics’ by New York data firm CB Insights.

Dec 20, 2019

Making long-lived positronium atoms for antimatter gravity experiments

Posted by in category: particle physics

O.o.


The universe is almost devoid of antimatter, and physicists haven’t yet figured out why. Discovering any slight difference between the behaviour of antimatter and matter in Earth’s gravitational field could shed light on this question. Positronium atoms, which consist of an electron and a positron, are one type of antimatter atoms being considered to test whether antimatter falls at the same rate as matter in Earth’s gravitational field. But they are short-lived, lasting a mere 142 nanoseconds – too little to perform an antimatter gravity experiment. Researchers are therefore actively seeking tricks to make sources of positronium atoms that live longer. In a paper published today in the journal Physical Review A, the AEgIS collaboration at CERN describes a new way of making long-lived positronium.

To be useful for gravity experiments, a source of atoms needs to produce long-lived atoms in , and with known velocities that can be controlled and are unaffected by disturbances such as electric and magnetic fields. The new AEgIS source ticks all of these boxes, producing some 80 000 positronium atoms per minute that last 1140 nanoseconds each and have a known velocity (between 70 and 120 kilometres per second) that can be controlled with a high precision (10 kilometres per second).

Continue reading “Making long-lived positronium atoms for antimatter gravity experiments” »

Dec 20, 2019

Randpay: a technology for blockchain micropayments that requires a recipient’s consent

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, business

Two researchers at Emercoin, a decentralized peer-to-peer (p2p) network providing secure blockchain business services, have recently developed a new technology called Randpay that only allows users to complete payments and transactions with a recipient’s consent. Using this new technology, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, users can also safely and easily micropay specific data values derived from sensors, individual stock quotes, downloaded pictures, search engine results, road tolls and other sources.

“Randpay opens a new niche in the ,” Oleg Khovayko, one of the researchers who developed the technology, told TechXplore. “All other micropayment technologies have minimal sum limitations because of the low bound limit of fees. With Randpay, transaction fees are reduced along with amounts. As a result, there is no payment minimum and payments can be as small as 1/100000 part of cent, if needed.”

The protocol developed by the researchers draws inspiration from a system of electronic lottery tickets based on micropayments invented by Ronald Rivest in 1997. In his work, Rivest introduced the concept of electronic lottery tickets, where there is a centralized system and payments can only go through in the presence of a trusted third party and, where possible, a ‘lottery facilitator’.

Dec 20, 2019

See Boeing’s Starliner Launch to the Space Station

Posted by in category: space

#Starliner is “go” for launch!

The launch of The Boeing Company’s Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station, as part of our NASA Commercial Crew Program, is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20.

Tune in starting at 5:30 a.m. EST to see the uncrewed flight test launch at 6:36 a.m. EST for the spacecraft’s maiden mission to our orbiting laboratory.

Dec 20, 2019

Why Didn’t She Get Alzheimer’s? The Answer Could Hold a Key to Fighting the Disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Researchers have found a woman with a rare genetic mutation that has protected her from dementia even though her brain has developed major neurological features of the disease.

Dec 20, 2019

A clue to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Half of people who live to 85 will develop Alzheimer’s disease — a disturbing statistic. But research into a family in South America has revealed a gene mutation that appears to afford protection, and may lead to a way to treat or possibly even prevent the disease.

Dec 20, 2019

California now allows driverless truck and cargo van testing on public roads

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

The California DMV set the rules for driverless light-duty vehicle testing on public roads on Tuesday. Among other things, the autonomous trucks and vans must have a link to a remote operator, or a human safety driver on board.

Dec 20, 2019

How Far is Too Far? | The Age of A.I.

Posted by in categories: education, media & arts, robotics/AI

Can A.I. make music? Can it feel excitement and fear? Is it alive? Will.i.am and Mark Sagar push the limits of what a machine can do. How far is too far, and how much further can we go?

The Age of A.I. is a 8 part documentary series hosted by Robert Downey Jr. covering the ways Artifial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Neural Networks will change the world.

Continue reading “How Far is Too Far? | The Age of A.I.” »

Dec 20, 2019

How We Are Going to the Moon

Posted by in category: space travel

With Artemis, men and women will sustainably work and live on another world for the first time! Using the Moon as a proving ground for living on Mars, this next chapter in lunar exploration will forever establish our presence in the stars. ✨

We are returning to the Moon – to stay – and this is how we’re going.