Show Notes November 17, 2023
Story 1: Researchers accidentally discover mind-blowing new technology to tackle plastic pollution: ‘It was a surprise’
Source: Yahoo News Story by Leo Collis
Link: https://news.yahoo.com/researchers-accidentally-discover-mind-blowing-130000972.html
- Penicillin, Velcro, matches, microwaves, and X-rays are some of many life-changing discoveries that were stumbled upon by accident. Now, you can add “vegan spider silk” to that list. It might just help solve the worldwide problem of single-use plastic pollution.
- When studying protein formation and interactions, scientists from the University of Cambridge became interested in the strength of spider silk despite its weak molecular bonds.
- While trying to replicate the bond formation using soy protein isolate, they created a product that looks similar to plastic but can be made from plant proteins. Not only is the material water-resistant and durable, but it is also fully compostable.
- According to a lead scientist on the project, “This is the culmination of something we’ve been working on for over 10 years, which is understanding how nature generates materials from proteins. We didn’t set out to solve a sustainability challenge — we were motivated by curiosity as to how to create strong materials from weak interactions.”
- The research had primarily been conducted to discover how the behavior of proteins relates to human health and disease, particularly Alzheimer’s.
- In the process, they created a material that boasts a “performance equivalent to high-performance engineering plastics such as low-density polyethylene.”
- Now, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge spinout company Xampla, the material is set to be commercialized.
- By the end of 2023, a range of vegan spider silk single-use sachets [a small perfumed bag used to scent clothes] and capsules will be revealed, which could be used in dishwasher and laundry tablets.
- The material has other possible applications, such as acting as a replacement for some types of plastic packaging.
- Here’s Xampla’s mission statement: Our breakthrough technology works with existing manufacturing processes and equipment to deliver natural and biodegradable materials that replace the most polluting plastics. Good for business and the planet.
Story 2: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Researchers Search for ‘Ghost Particles’
Source: PNNL website Story by Steven Ashby
Link: https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/pnnl-researchers-search-ghost-particles
- At the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state, scientists seek to detect and measure neutrinos — the plentiful “ghost particles” that pass-through concrete and humans without making an impact.
- Researchers at PNNL and elsewhere study neutrinos because they offer a glimpse of cosmic events that occurred billions of years ago. The very concept of neutrinos is hard to imagine.
- They travel at almost the speed of light, have no electric charge, and weigh nearly nothing. And billions of them are passing through us right now. As creepy as that may sound, these mysterious subatomic particles could hold the key to understanding the origins of matter.
- Time out! How was matter created? The question of what existed before matter is a fascinating one. According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began as a singularity, which is a point of infinite density and temperature. The universe then expanded rapidly in a process called cosmic inflation. The first long-lived matter particles of any kind were protons and neutrons, which together make up the atomic nucleus. These came into existence around one ten-thousandth of a second after the Big Bang. Before that point, there was really no material in any familiar sense of the word. Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220105-what-existed-before-the-big-bang
- Detecting the presence of neutrinos is a daunting challenge, one that requires a team effort.
- Joining more than 1,700 scientists from 38 countries, Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers are part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, or DUNE. This project focuses on building ultrasensitive neutrino detectors.
- DUNE receives a beam of neutrinos from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago, sends it through a detector and then on to a much larger detector 800 miles away in South Dakota.
- Led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists, the researchers’ latest design increases the detector’s sensitivity to neutrinos that are not produced as part of the experiment.
- Informed by computer simulations, their design employs shielding, background radioactivity mitigation and enhanced light detection to improve the measurements to permit study of neutrinos from supernova or the sun.
***Check out the article for the rest of the story about other experiments!
Story 3: £160,000 [estimated price from $170,000] flying car you must build yourself sails through first flight
Source: UK’s Metro Story by Dean Murray
Link: https://metro.co.uk/2023/11/10/gbp160-000-flying-car-build-sails-first-flight-19805724/
See video here: https://www.samsonsky.com/videos/
- A $170,000 flying car that you park in your home garage has achieved its first flight.
- The Samson Sky Switchblade soared to an altitude of 500 feet during its maiden flight in Washington State recently.
- Oregon-based Samson announced on Thursday November 9 that veteran test pilot Robert Moehle flew above the airport and surrounding foothills, remaining airborne for nearly six minutes before lightly touching down to Earth.
- The highly anticipated two-seater has already received 2,300 reservations from 57 countries and all 50 states in the US.
- The Switchblade is a three-wheel, street-legal vehicle able to be parked in your garage.
- Owners drive to a nearby airport, where the wings swing out and the tail extends in under three minutes.
- The aircraft can then be flown to the airport nearest your destination – at up to 200mph and within a range of 450 miles. It can reach altitudes of 13,000 feet.
- Upon landing, users transform the flying sports car back to driving mode – the wings and tail safely stowed and protected – and drive to their final destination.
- Each Switchblade comes in a DIY kit form, which includes engine, transmission, avionics, interiors, and Samson Builder Assist Program.
- The Samson Team will use flight test data to finalize production engineering and build several production prototypes.
- The Switchblade comes in two kit types, a $170,566 version that permits a pilot to operate in clear weather conditions, and a $196,384 model that can fly under different weather conditions, including into clouds and with zero visibility.
- The vehicle has a unique hybrid electric system, which uses regular unleaded auto gas rather than leaded aviation fuel.
- While a private pilot’s license is required to fly the Switchblade, Samson Sky say they are seeing reservations coming in from non-pilots who plan to learn to fly.
- On the company’s website FAQ here is the answer to the question “When do you expect to be in production?” Answer: We expect to have the Samson Builder Assist assembly line ready about 22 months after first flight.
Story 4: Glasses Provide Audible Prompts for Blind Wearers
Source: MedGadget.com Story by Conn Hastings
Link: https://www.medgadget.com/2023/11/glasses-provide-audible-prompts-for-blind-wearers.html
- A team at the University of Technology Sydney has developed an assistive technology for blind people and those with low vision. The system consists of glasses that can view their surroundings through an on-board camera, appraise the objects nearby using computer vision technology, and then play a sound that provides a cue for the wearer as to their surroundings.
- These “sound icons” could include a rustling sound when leaves are viewed, or a small bark when a dog appears, as examples. The technology could offer additional information on their environment for low vision wearers and assist with daily tasks.
- This latest technology is somewhat akin to the echolocation used by bats, although it relies on computer vision rather than soundwaves to identify nearby objects. However, sound is still used to communicate the identity of the viewed object in the form of sound icons.
- Chin-Teng Lin, one of the creators of the new system, noted: “Smart glasses typically use computer vision and other sensory information to translate the wearer’s surrounding into computer-synthesized speech. However, acoustic touch technology sonifies objects, creating unique sound representations as they enter the device’s field of view. For example, the sound of rustling leaves might signify a plant, or a buzzing sound might represent a mobile phone.”
- So far, the researchers have tested the glasses with 14 participants. Of this group, half of the participants were blind or low sighted and the other half were fully sighted but wore a blindfold for the duration of the tests.
- The glasses allowed the wearers to successfully identify and grasp objects that were present within the field of view of the system.
Study in journal PLOS ONE: An investigation into the effectiveness of using acoustic touch to assist people who are blind
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Story: The Best Science Toys for Kids
Source: LiveScience.com Story by the Live Science Staff
Note: the article is 3 years old, but I really liked the low-cost suggestions that are still available. For some of the latest toys, here’s a great article from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-science-kits-for-kids/?sh=348fa2f92bc5
- National Geographic Dual LED Student Microscope
- Kids love to figure out what’s things look like inside and up-close. Here’s the perfect way to keep them engaged and learning:
- This National Geographic microscope has two viewing options — Kids can use the lower LED lights to view biological specimens on slides or they can switch over to the upper lights to examine 3D objects in intricate detail. And it comes with more than 50 accessories, including already prepared slides and a learning guide.
- Price: $67.99 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/NATIONAL-GEOGRAPHIC-Dual-Student-Microscope/dp/B01ICAU41E
- Skybasic Wireless Digital Microscope
- This digital microscope is so easy to use that you can get it set up and connected to a mobile device (Android or iOS) and leave your child to explore the world on their own.
- From looking at the inside of their mouth to the teensy printing on a Pokemon card to a blade of grass, your child can analyze a zoomed-in version of their world, and even take photos and video!
- This innovative microscope wirelessly streams live footage to over 33 feet away while magnifying objects with a 50x to 1000x magnification zoom.
- Price: $29.99 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Skybasic-Magnification-Compatible-Smartphone/dp/B07DVFBVPF
- 4M Solar System Planetarium – DIY Glow in the Dark Astronomy Planet Model
- Part-craft, part-learning tool and part-decoration, the Solar System Planetarium is a fun way to teach kids, recommended for 8 and up, about the wonders of our celestial neighborhood.
- No batteries are required; kids just paint and learn. The set includes: planets, stencils, squeeze-glow paint pen, rods, string, a fact-filled wall chart and 10 sets of fun quiz questions.
- Price: $11.99 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/4M-3427-Solar-System-Planetarium/dp/B000HGJJ7W
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Story: This new solar-powered car can travel up to 1,000 miles on a single charge, and its exterior is ‘stronger than steel’
Source: The Cool Down Story by Wes Stenzel
Aptera website: https://aptera.us/ See opening video!
- You’ll soon be able to drive a car powered by solar energy.
- Aptera Motors has developed an electric vehicle that can run on solar power, allowing for up to 40 miles of solar-powered driving per day, according to the company’s website.
- The vehicle’s sleek, futuristic design looks more like a spaceship than a car — and its aerodynamic shape means that it can “slip through the air” using only 30% of the energy that other electric vehicles need as they drive.
- Its efficient design — inspired by racecars and fighter jets — also means that a single charge can support up to 1,000 miles of driving at a time.
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Story: Doctors perform 1st-ever whole eye, partial face transplant
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Nicoletta Lanese
- For the first time, a patient received a whole new eye and a partial face in a groundbreaking transplant procedure.
- The transplant recipient, a 46-year-old from Arkansas named Aaron James, had sustained a 7,200-volt electric shock while working as a high-voltage lineman on June 10, 2021.
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Story: Coatings made from a wood by-product can keep our glasses and windshields clear
Source: Phys.org Story by Aalto University
Link: https://phys.org/news/2023-09-coatings-wood-by-product-glasses-windshields.html
- Researchers have developed a way to turn a waste material from wood into a bio-based transparent film that can be used for anti-fogging or anti-reflective coatings on glasses or vehicle windows. In addition to offering an alternative to the toxic synthetic materials currently used, this approach transforms a waste product into a valuable carbon sink.