The liquid metal that could make a rechargeable solar battery to store heat from the sun

The liquid metal that could make a rechargeable solar battery to store heat from the sun | Mail Online

The remarkable material is known as fulvalene diruthenium. When a molecule of the substance absorbs sunlight it changes shape into a semi-stable, but perfectly safe, state.

It can stay like this indefinitely until combined with a catalyst when it will snap back to its original form releasing a huge amount of heat. This heat could then be used to heat a home.

Most solar power device used today convert energy from the sun into electricity or heat but do not store the energy that is not used.

When the heat is released, fuel made from fulvalene diruthenium is capable of becoming as hot as 200C.

This is known as the thermo-chemical approach, and would be far more effective than conventional solar-thermal systems which need insulation and which gradually let the heat leak

Controversial psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa’s ten ‘truths’ about human nature

Very politically incorrect: Controversial psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa’s ten ‘truths’ about human nature | Mail Online

His claim that ugly couples are more likely to have sons made headlines around the world yesterday.

But this is not the first time that evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa has stirred up controversy with his outspoken declarations.

Usually perfectly timed to coincide with his latest book, The London School of Economics researcher has come out with a raft of startling claims about what makes us human.

Already this year he has claimed that men who cheat on their girlfriends or wives are less intelligent.

And he claimed that most suicide bombers are Muslim because they do not have enough sex.

He even gave psychological reasons why liberals are more intelligent than those with more conservative viewpoints.

Yesterday it emerged that he had unearthed new evidence that proved the principle that if a parent has any traits that will benefit one particular sex of child, they will have more of that child.

According to Kanazawa, in women this means physical attractiveness is a trait that is passed down, leading to more baby girls for better-looking women.

His latest book is almost perfectly designed to provoke debate and cause a storm of controversy with almost every entry.

Named ‘Ten Politically Incorrect Truths about Human Nature’ it uses Kanazawa’s evolutionary psychology theories to tackle some difficult subjects.

3D porn channel launches in France

3D porn channel launches in France | TG Daily

If you were waiting for a reason to get a 3D TV, here it is. If you live in France, that is. Prolific French pornographer Marc Dorcel has launched the world’s first video-on-demand channel featuring adult films shot in the new stereoscopic 3D format.

Already, there are more than 60 adult video specially created for this channel. And, Dorcel plans to continuously update with a new video every week. The service is available now on the French cable channel “Free.”

Despre Brain Fitness, neuromituri si cum pot fi creati noi neuroni

Interviu TOTB: Despre Brain Fitness, neuromituri si cum pot fi creati noi neuroni » Think Outside The Box

Tot ce inseamna spiritualitate la nivel de a gandi despre fiinte supranaturale, ca este Dumnezeu sau alte entitati sau forte ale naturii, toate in creierul oamenilor sunt asociate cu sistemul neuronilor de tip oglinda. Adica ei nu sunt implicati doar cand invata copilul sa-i imite pe cei din jur, ci la omul adult este implicat cu a atribui cauzalitati. Pentru o chestie supraumana, cum este natura, universul, samd, o parte a creierului nostru social se ocupa cu a atribui tot social unei supraentitati, dar tot de tip umanoid. Oamenii care au afectat de boli acest circuit neuronal sunt superspirituali, au chiar delir mistic. Creierul homo sapiens este construit ca sa genereze religii. La oamenii care cred foarte mult in chestia asta apar manifestari la nivel de creier, inclusiv apare un efect placebo, le creste imunitatea, se pot vindeca…In niciun in caz nu inseamna altceva decat ca efectiv creierul omului este construit ca sa genereze supranaturalul, nu inseamna neaparat ca exista acel supranatural undeva.
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Imi amintesti de o emisiune difuzata la Discovery in care cercetatorii respectivi incercau sa dovedeasca ca nu exista liber arbitru…

Dragos: E o chestie clasica de alminteri. Prin ’85 s-a dovedit prima data ca decizia ta privind cand sa apesi pe un buton se intampla cu cateva sute de milisecunde inainte…In functie de experienta ta anterioara, calculeaza sansele si cea mai accesibila varianta posibila, si cand o calculeaza o lanseaza in retele de executie. Tu devii constient numai de ce apare in retelele de executie, si nu in toate.

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La omul adult, de 30 de ani sa zicem, care lucreaza intr-o companie, este importanta pentru ca in buna masura se intampla doua chestii: una este rutina, care mentine anumite parti functionale din creier, si pe multe altele le inchide, pentru ca nu are nevoie de ele, si cand are nevoie nu mai are de unde sa le ia, ca nu mai sunt asa de functionale, si, pe de alta parte, este stresul care, in buna masura, iti mananca din dendrite, conexiunile din partea frontala. Unor oameni care au fost expusi la o luna de stres profesional, spre exemplu, li s-a testat conectivitatea din partea frontala si s-a observat, socant, ca au ajuns la jumatate din conexiunile pe care le are un om care nu a fost expus la stres o luna de zile.

Is Wi-Fi frying our brains? Fears that cloud of ‘electrosmog’ could harm humans

Is Wi-Fi frying our brains? Fears that cloud of ‘electrosmog’ could harm humans | Mail Online

It is well documented that average male sperm counts are falling by two per cent a year. Many causes have been suggested, from stressful lifestyles to poor diet and ­hormones in our water supplies.
But studies in infertility clinics show problems with sperm dying off or not moving properly are most common in men who use mobiles extensively. This has also been demonstrated in the laboratory.

Mobiles are not the only problem. Many laptops are now equipped with Wi-Fi which sends out pulses every second as it maintains contact with the nearest access point. Young men with these devices on their laps are submitting their testicles to strong EMFs at close range, oblivious to the damage they may be doing to their chances of future fatherhood.

EMFS have also been shown to affect the brain, suppressing production of melatonin, the hormone controlling whether we feel happy or sad. In 2004, researchers at the University of Malaga found that significant exposure to EMFs increases the chances of developing depression 40-fold.

They also linked electrosmog to headaches, irritability, unusual tiredness and sleeping disorders.

This has been confirmed in research by the respected Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Sponsored by the leading mobile phone companies, it showed that using handsets just before going to bed caused people to take longer to reach deeper stages of sleep. They also spent less time in each of these stages, so interfering with the body’s ability to repair damage suffered during the day.

Copenhanga planuieste „autostrazi” pentru biciclete

Copenhanga planuieste „autostrazi” pentru biciclete » Think Outside The Box

Infiintarea autostrazilor pentru biciclete vine „la momentul potrivit”, spune purtatorul de cuvant al Federatiei de Ciclism din Danemarca, Frits Bredal, citat de AFP. „Strazile din Copenhaga sunt supraaglomerate cu oameni care vor sa se dea cu bicicleta indiferent de vreme”, continua el. „E un mijloc de transport folosit de toate clasele sociale; pana si politicienii o folosesc”. Strada care va gazdui prima asemenea autostrada este Noerrebrogade, pe care se inghesuie in fiecare zi 36.000 de biciclisti. Pistele vor fi largite cu circa patru metri de fiecare parte a drumului, care la randul sau va fi destinat doar atuobuzelor.

Universe shows ‘imprints’ of events that took place BEFORE the Big Bang, say scientists

Universe shows ‘imprints’ of events that took place BEFORE the Big Bang, say scientists | Mail Online

Scientists say they have discovered evidence that the universe existed before the Big Bang.

Concentric circles discovered in cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) – the after-effects of the Big Bang – display evidence of events that took place before most scientists believe the universe came into being.

The controversial finding points to the existence of a universe that did not begin 13.7billion years ago, as is generally accepted, but is instead a cycle of so-called aeons.

Iran: Computer Malware Sabotaged Uranium Centrifuges

Iran: Computer Malware Sabotaged Uranium Centrifuges | Threat Level | Wired.com

In what appears to be the first confirmation that the Stuxnet malware hit Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that malicious computer code launched by “enemies” of the state had sabotaged centrifuges used in Iran’s nuclear-enrichment program.

The surprise announcement at a press conference coincided with news that two of Iran’s top nuclear scientists had been ambushed Monday by assassins who killed one scientist and seriously injured the other.

Street View and 3D Trees in Google Earth 6

YouTube – Street View and 3D Trees in Google Earth 6

Gene therapy prevents memory problems in mice with Alzheimer’s disease

Gene therapy prevents memory problems in mice with Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Humans with AD and mice genetically engineered to simulate the disease have abnormally low levels of an enzyme called EphB2 in memory centers of the brain. Improving EphB2 levels in such mice by gene therapy completely fixed their memory problems. The findings will be published in the November 28 issue of the journal Nature.

Report: Iranian Stuxnet expert assassinated in Tehran

Report: Iranian Stuxnet expert assassinated in Tehran | TG Daily

An Iranian security specialist attempting to counter the voracious Stuxnet worm has reportedly been assassinated near a top-secret lab in Tehran.

According to DebkaFile, the death of Prof. Majid Shahriari is expected to significantly affect Iran’s ability to purge the destructive worm from its military and nuclear networks.

Although exact details of the assassination remain unclear, it seems as if Shahriari was killed in a drive-by shooting that may have also involved the planting and detonation of explosives by unknown operatives on speeding motorcycles.

Zero emissions electric car wins top award – and it is built in Britain

Zero emissions electric car wins top award – and it is built in Britain | Mail Online

Håkan Matson, president of the Car of the Year jury said:’The Nissan Leaf is a breakthrough for electric cars.

It is the first electric vehicle that can match conventional cars in many respects.’

Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief of the world’s oldest motoring magazine Autocar is one of the six British voters and said he placed the Leaf at the top of his list:’

‘The Nissan Leaf was my own winner this year. So I’m delighted to see it win. It does more than any rival to “normalise” electric cars.’

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “This award recognises the pioneering zero-emission Nissan Leaf as competitive to conventional cars in terms of safety, performance, spaciousness and handling.

‘It also reflects Nissan’s standing as an innovative and exciting brand with a clear vision of the future of transportation, which we call sustainable mobility.

Futuristic rifle that fires radio-controlled bullets to be used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan this month

Futuristic rifle that fires radio-controlled bullets to be used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan this month | Mail Online

The U.S. army is to begin using a futuristic rifle that fires radio-controlled ‘smart’ bullets in Afghanistan for the first time, it has emerged.

The XM25 rifle uses bullets that be programmed to explode when they have travelled a set distance, allowing enemies to be targeted no matter where they are hiding.

The rifle also has a range of 2,300 feet making it possible to hit target which are well out of the reach of conventional rifles.

The XM25 is being developed specially for the U.S. army and will be deployed with troops from later this month, it was revealed today.

Telomerase reverses ageing process

Telomerase reverses ageing process : Nature News

Premature ageing can be reversed by reactivating an enzyme that protects the tips of chromosomes, a study in mice suggests.

Mice engineered to lack the enzyme, called telomerase, become prematurely decrepit. But they bounced back to health when the enzyme was replaced. The finding, published online today in Nature1, hints that some disorders characterized by early ageing could be treated by boosting telomerase activity.

Life Could Have Evolved in Armoured Clay Bubbles

Life Could Have Evolved in Armoured Clay Bubbles  – Technology Review

The discovery that natural clay forms a protective shell around tiny air bubbles has profound implications for our theories about the origin of life on Earth

Scientist finds evidence of pre-Big Bang events

Scientist finds evidence of pre-Big Bang events | TG Daily

A leading Oxford University cosmologist says he has been able to observe the effects of cosmic events that preceded the Big Bang.

Roger Penrose says that by examining the cosmic microwave background radiation, he’s discovered echoes of events before the Big Bang that’s generally believed to have kicked off our universe.

Penrose says that black hole encounters prior to the Big Bang would leave an observable affect on our own universe, in the form of concentric circles around galaxy clusters within which there would be anomolously low variation in temperature.

Penrose has long posited the idea that so-called inflationary theory – the idea that the universe was crated by the Big Bang and has been expanding ever since – is wrong. Instead, he proposes a theory called Conformal Cyclic Cosmology, which requires no beginning to the universe.

And the data backs this theory up, he says.

“The analysis of Wilkinson Microwave Background Probe’s (WMAP) cosmic microwave background 7-year maps does indeed reveal such concentric circles,” he says in a report on the Arvix website.

“This is confirmed when the same analysis is applied to BOOMERanG98 data, eliminating the possibility of an instrumental cause for the effects. These observational predictions of CCC would not be easily explained within standard inflationary cosmology.”

The circles would have been created by a series of ‘shockwaves’ representing events before the last Big Bang.

Have they found the elixir of eternal youth? Scientists reverse the ageing process in landmark trial

Have they found the elixir of eternal youth? Scientists reverse the ageing process in landmark trial | Mail Online

The experiments mirror the plot of the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where the lead character played by Brad Pitt ages in reverse.

They were carried out by cancer doctor Ronald DePinho of Harvard University in the U.S. and detailed in the prestigious journal Nature.

He reversed the effects of ageing in animals for the first time in experiments on mice.

Before treatment, their skin, brains, guts and other organs resembled those of an 80-year-old person.

Within just two months of being given a drug that switches on a key enzyme, the creatures had grown so many new cells that they had almost completely rejuvenated.

Remarkably, the male mice went from being infertile to fathering large litters.

Dr DePinho said: ‘In human terms, it would be like having a 40-year-old person who looked 80-plus and reversing the effects to the levels of a 50-year-old.

Cronica scepticului – episodul 113 (video)

Revista Stiinta si Tehnica

In acest episod revenim asupra Codex alimentarius, pentru ca el pare sa inspaimante tare rau pe un domn de la o binecunoscuta televiziune. Atat de cuprins de spaima este incat nu mai isi gaseste cuvintele si simte imperioasa nevoie de a organiza multe emisiuni una dupa alta pentru a impartasi lumii nelinistile domniei sale. Printre altele, este nelinistit (am indrazni sa spunem ca este inspaimantat de-a dreptul) de o viitoare intezicere a consumului de usturoi si plante medicinale, chestie impusa de incriminatul Codex alimentarius. Ne mai spune domnul ca toate alimentele vor fi iradiate cu cobalt, iar organismele modificate genetic vor face parte obligatoriu din dieta noastra de zi cu zi. Iar toate acestea sunt elementele unui plan perfid prin care oculta mondiala vrea sa duca la scaderea numarului pamantenilor pana pe la vreo doua miliarde de oameni de acum pana prin 2040. Din acest motiv vor trebui sa moara una suta de milioane de oameni pe an. Inspaimantor de-a dreptul! Omul nostru foloseste orice sursa de informare, numai de Codex alimentarius nu se atinge. Nu pare sa fi citit vreun rand din acest set de standarde si nici nu pare sa stie ca nu e vorba de standarde obligatorii. Noi am cautat usturoiul si interdictia de a fi consumat, nu am gasit-o nicaieri in Codex. Am vrut sa vedem ce e cu suplimentele alimentare… ele nu sunt interzise de Codex. Trebuie doar, atunci cand despre un aliment sau supliment alimentar se spune ca poseda virtuti terapeutice sa se vina cu dovada corespunzatoare. Dar, stiti si dumneavoastra, pseudostiinta are oroare de dovezi. Pseudostiinta iubeste numa vorbele fara de numar si sens.
Aceasta emisiune a fost difuzata de catre postul TvRM in ziua de 20 noiembrie 2010.

Turbo-charged: How a new laser blasts blocked arteries

Turbo-charged: How a new laser blasts blocked arteries | Mail Online

A high-powered laser, which unblocks arteries in minutes, is being used on UK patients for the first time.

The Turbo Elite ‘drill’ fitted to a new laser called the Excimer blasts tissue into particles so small they can only be seen under a microscope.

Trials at University College Hospital in London have proved a major success with reduced operating times and hospital stays.

The first two patients were treated at the hospital in July and discharged the next day, instead of spending weeks in hospital. The procedure could help thousands with artery disease.

Graphene supercapacitor breaks storage record

Graphene supercapacitor breaks storage record – physicsworld.com

The energy density values of the supercapacitor are comparable to that of nickel metal hydride batteries. “This new technology makes for an energy storage device that stores nearly as much energy as in a battery but which can be recharged in seconds or minutes,” Jang explained. “We believe that this is truly a breakthrough in energy technology.” The device might be used to recharge mobile phones, digital cameras and micro-EVs, he adds.