Scientists have discovered matter and antimatter appear to be perfect mirror images of each other as far as anyone can see, foiling hope of solving the mystery as to why there is far more matter than antimatter in the universe.
Continue reading… “Matter and antimatter are found to be perfect mirror images”
Sharp’s technology could be twice as efficient at converting sunlight to electricity.
Right now the best solar cells we have convert less than a third of the energy on sunlight into electricity, even though for decades researchers have calculated that exotic physics could allow solar cells to convert far more energy than they do now.
Continue reading… “New technology from Sharp demonstrates ultra-high efficiency solar cells”
Scientists discovered a technique that should produce electrons and positrons by colliding two sets of super-energetic photons.
For a long time, scientists have theorized that you can create matter from light by colliding photons. Proving that theory has been a different story — you need the right high-energy particles to even think of trying. However, it looks like that once-impossible dream is close to becoming reality.
Continue reading… “Scientists discover a way to create matter from light”
Hybrid optoelectronic nanostructures with controlled variation in photoconduction properties.
University of Pennsylvania reasearchers have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications.
Continue reading… “Researchers demonstrate new method for harvesting energy from light”
Me standing next to the all-electric Nissan Leaf in La Jolla, CA
Futurist Thomas Frey: I looked over at my clock and saw that it was 3:19 am, a time when most people would normally just roll over and fall back to sleep, but I was wide awake. And from past experience, I wouldn’t get tired again for 2-3 hours, so this was one of those crazy middle-of-the-night periods of free time where I could get something done, and my body didn’t really know I was awake. (Pics)
Continue reading… “My Weekend with the new All-Electric Nissan Leaf”
Solar toothbrush
When we first saw this new gadget, we thought “Oh, a mechanical toothbrush powered by the sun.” But that isn’t what this is. Instead of using solar rays to charge itself up, the toothbrush uses them to catalyze a powerful chemical reaction that could leave your mouth way cleaner than regular old brushing does. “You see complete destruction of bacterial cells,” says Kunio Komiyama, the inventor of the device. Oh, and did we mention that no toothpaste is required? Watch out Colgate!
Continue reading… “Solar Toothbrush Could Eliminate the Need for Toothpaste”
Vu1’s conceptual design for its R-30 bulb.
While compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are currently the primary alternative to incandescent light bulbs, a company from Seattle predicts that its own novel light bulbs will eventually replace CFLs and LEDs. Vu1 (“view one”) Corporation has been working on its electron stimulated luminescence (ESL) bulbs, and has recently released a demo video (below).
Continue reading… “Future of Light Bulbs May Be ESL’s”
Researchers have created the tiniest laser since its invention nearly 50 years ago
Developed by a consortium of researchers, dubbed the “spaser”, it is the thinnest laser ever developed. About 44 nanometers in diameter and about 10 times smaller than the wavelength of light, the nanolaser could pave way for superfast computers, which use light to process data instead of electrons currently used. This novel invention that emits visible light, has been brought about by harnessing clouds of electrons called “surface Plasmons,“ which produce photons of light waves.
Continue reading… “Thinnest Nanolaser Developed Key To Future Optical Technologies”
Ceramatec have created the disk, which can hold up to 20-kilowatt hours
A small disc could be the solution for the efficient and cheap storage of the sun’s energy. A Utah-based company has found a new way to store solar energy – in a small ceramic disk which can store more power for less. Researchers at Ceramatec have created the disk, which can hold up to 20-kilowatt hours, enough to power an entire house for a large portion of the day.
Continue reading… “Tiny Battery Traps Solar Power To Run An Entire House”
Forget the notion of a reverent nature photographer tiptoeing through the woods, camera slung over one shoulder, patiently looking for perfect light. Robert Buelteman works indoors in total darkness, forsaking cameras, lenses, and computers for jumper cables, fiber optics, and 80,000 volts of electricity. This bizarre union of Dr. Frankenstein and Georgia O’Keeffe spawns photos that seem to portray the life force of his subjects as the very process destroys them.
Continue reading… “Electrifying Photography”
Power From an Unlikely Source
Researchers have genetically engineered biological viruses to form the anode and cathode of a battery. MIT researcher Angela Belcher and her colleagues manipulated the genes of a harmless virus so that the bug coats itself in tiny iron phosphate particles and connects to highly-conductive carbon nanotubes. From Science News…
Continue reading… “Batteries Built By Viruses”
Fuel cells are, in principle, the most efficient way to convert hydrogen fuel into electricity. But they require expensive catalysts such as platinum to split hydrogen into ions and electrical current. Cheaper metals simply can’t withstand the harsh acidic environment of the fuel cell. Now researchers in China have developed a fuel cell that uses a new membrane material to operate in alkaline conditions, eliminating the need for an expensive catalyst. The power output of the new prototype, which uses nickel as a catalyst, is still relatively low, but it provides a first demonstration of a potentially much less expensive fuel cell.
Continue reading… “Platinum-Free Fuel Cells Eliminates Need For Expensive Catalysts”
