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This article indicates that, next year, the problems of carbon emissions, foreign oil dependence, oil spills, fuel shortages, etc. will all end: A brave new world of fossil fuels on demand In September, a privately held and highly secretive U.S. biotech company named Joule Unlimited received a patent for “a proprietary organism” – a genetically [...]
Going to prison seems a little harsh, but the education aspect is refreshing: If you would like to learn more about the difference between climate and weather, these links can help: – How Weather Works – How Global Warming Works [[[Jump to previous Funny...]]] If you would like to follow Brainstuff on Twitter or Facebook, [...]
Let’s imagine that you own a nuclear power plant. You are in a pretty good position these days because, compared to a coal-fired power plant, your operation is very green. You are producing lots of reliable electricity without releasing any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. You don’t release any other pollutants, like sulfur or mercury, [...]
This is not a very good video, but it introduces an idea that is interesting. The idea is to replace 18-wheel trucks with a different transportation system. The reason it is interesting is because, as soon as the idea is introduced, it becomes obvious that there is gigantic room for improvement in the “trucking industry”. [...]
Invention – A new way to lower the cost of solar cells
by Marshall Brain | November 1, 2010
The goal of the solar cell industry is to get the cost of solar panels down to $1 per watt. One way to get there is through basic incremental improvements in the manufacturing process, along with economies of scale as described here: Fun Facts about Solar Panels Another way is to come up with breakthroughs. [...]
I recycled while living in my last two apartments, but the recycling options offered at my current apartment complex are kind of crummy, so I got out of the habit. That started making me feel guilty a few months back — especially since I was writing articles about topics like global food crises and what a moneyless world would look like — so I decided to make an effort to get better about it…
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How many people are born every minute? — Alice, Galway City, Ireland
Marshall Brain Answers…
Home construction is one of those things that really has not changed a whole lot for hundreds of years. For example, if you look at the houses in Colonial Williamsburg, they have pitched roofs with shingles, walls with siding or brick on the outside and plaster on the inside, wooden floors, casement windows and so [...]
Imagine filling your gas tank in Boston and driving all the way down the east coast to Miami on a single tank of gas. A Volkswagen Passat Bluemotion car with minor modifications has done that: Passat BlueMotion enters record books after going 1,527 miles without refueling; that’s 74.8 mpg What makes it possible for this [...]
Currently there are two different “Big Science” approaches to fusion power. There is the laser approach, best represented by the National Ignition Facility, where more than a hundred high power laser beams hit a tiny pellet to create fusion in its core. There is also the magnetic confinement approach, best prepresented by the Tokamak approach.
Focus Fusion is a “little science” approach to fusion and is described here…
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